Correlation of the degree of dyspnea with health‐related quality of life, functional abilities, and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide in patients with systemic sclerosis and active alveolitis: Results from the scleroderma lung study

Abstract

The SF-36 was able to discriminate between scleroderma lung disease patients with more severe and less severe breathlessness, the primary symptom of active alveolitis. The SF-36 complements the BDI and VAS scores for breathing in scleroderma lung disease and is variably correlated with results of pulmonary function tests, suggesting that the SF-36 should be included as an outcome measure in intervention trials in this population.