Q: Can the DAS be used for other diseases than rheumatoid arthritis?

A: No, the DAS has only been validated in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, as defined by the 1987 ARA criteria.

Q: Can the ESR be substituted in the formula by the CRP?

A: No, but a separate DAS that includes the CRP instead of ESR has recently been developed. Fo a detailed explanation of how to use it go here.

Q: Why are different VAS described? (VAS general health and VAS patient's assessment of global disease activity)

A: The original DAS was developed using the VAS for general health, but because the VAS for patient's assessment of disease activity has been included in the coreset of variables to measure disease activity with, this VAS can replace the VAS general health