Objectives Evaluate the VAS for global, activity, rest and nocturnal pain in relation with other activity parameters including Ritchie index.

Methods 228 outpatients with ACR-87 criteria for RA diagnostic were studied. We measure the following clinical parameters: nº of joints with pain and inflammation, VAS for global, activity, rest and nocturnal pain, VAS for global impression of the patient and the doctor, HAQ, morning stiffness, Ritchie index and the analytical data: ESR and CRP. The correlations among the different pain-VAS and those with other activity criteria of RA were evaluated by Pearson’s correlation with the statistical packet SPSS. They are positive if r > .5.

Results 82% were women. Age was 60 ± 16. Years of evolution were 13 ± 10. 31%, 28%, 29% and 12% correspond to the functional stages I, II, III and IV respectively. 48% were seropositive. VAS-G has the highest correlations with VAS-A, R and N. there are also significant correlation among VAS-Pain and other activity parameters of RA: HAQ, Ritchie index and the global impression of the patient and the doctor. The impression of the patient correlations are higher than the doctor’s.

Conclusion VAS-Pain, and specially VAS-G has a high correlation among themselves, HAQ, patient and doctor’s impression and with Ritchie Index. There are no correlation among nº of articulations with pain, articulations with inflammation, CRP or ESR. The lack of the last correlation maybe related to the low inflammatory activity of the sample.