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The aim of this study is to examine the validity of the rheumatoid arthritis (RA), disease activity score (DAS), 28-C-reactive protein (CRP), the simplified disease activity index (SDAI), and the clinical disease activity index (CDAI) against the DAS28-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and determine cut-off values for each tool in Korean patients with RA. A total of 223 RA patients were consecutively recruited from the Hanyang University Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in Seoul, Korea. DAS28-CRP, SDAI, and CDAI were measured and compared with DAS28-ESR. The correlation coefficients of DAS28-ESR with DAS28-CRP, SDAI, and CDAI were 0.93, 0.85, and 0.84, demonstrating strong linear relationships. The cut-off values of DAS28-CRP classifying RA patients into four categories of disease activity were defined as 2.19, 2.60, and 4.07. SDAI cut-off values were defined as 3.75, 7.50, and 16.88. CDAI cut-off values were defined as 3.62, 7.38, and 16.50. DAS28-CRP, SDAI, and CDAI are valid and sensitive assessment indices of disease activity that are comparable to DAS28-ESR. The cut-off values of each tool derived in this study might be useful for routine monitoring and therapeutic decision-making in Korean RA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]