Evaluation of a new Tunisian version of behçet’s disease current activity form*

Abstract

Background: Beh &#231; et’s Syndrome (BS) is characterized by a heterogeneous vessel involvement, a fluctuating natural history and by the absence of biological markers correlated to disease activity that’s why objective clinical scores are needed for the assessment of its activity. The Beh &#231; et’s Disease Clinical Activity Form (BDCAF) is the most recent and widely used clinical activity score. Objectives: To perform a cross-cultural adaptation of the Beh &#231; et’s Disease Current Activity Form (BDCAF) to the Tunisian Dialect (Arabic Language) and to evaluate the metrological characteristics of the Tunisian version (Tu-BDCAF) espe cially its reliability in BD activity evaluation. Methods: Cross-cultural adaptation was done according to the established guidelines. Reliability of Tu-BDCAF was tested among 40 BD patients (mean age: 38 years, sex ratio: 1.37). Patients were questioned by two BD specialists at 20 minutes interval to evaluate inter-observer reproducibility and twice by the same physician at 48 hours interval to assess the intra-observer reproducibility. k Coefficient was used to test the concordance between qualitative variables and correlation between quantitative variables was evaluated used Pearson coefficient and Bland and Altman graphical method. Results: There was a good correlation be tween global scores calculated by the two physicians on the same day (r = 0.94, p < 0.0001) and also between the scores calculated by the same clinician at different times (r = 0.98, p < 0.0001). k Coefficient analyses demonstrated a good intra and inter observer reliability for all the Tu-BDCAF items excepted for diarrhea and Clinician’s impression. As the original version, Tu-BDCAF is an objective, easy-calculated and reliable index for assessing disease activity in BD. The main limit of the BDCAF score remains the absence of a cut-off point defining BD activity. Conclusion: Tu-BDACF is a Tunisian version of the BDCAF score which can be used in routine to assess BD activity but also in international studies and clinical trials.