Some common questions about RAlly

What is RAlly?

RALLY: The National Data Bank for Rheumatic Diseases (NDB) is a project that collects data on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) directly from persons who have this illness. The goals of the project are to advance our knowledge about the causes, outcomes, costs, treatments, and results of treatments related to RA. Another important goal of the project is to stimulate data collection and study by health professionals, and make NDB data available for medical research.

How can I join and help with the reseach?

The guest questionnaire on this site is very similar to the research NDB Rally participants help with. If you find this interesting and want to make an important positive difference in rheumatic disease research, we hope you'll become a regular participant in our research. You'll be able to see how your results change over time and receive other information.

If you have a rheumatic disorder such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, lupus or any other condition for which you would see a rheumatologist or joint specialist, you can join NDB research and help the research that works to improve treatment of rheumatic diseases around the world. Participating involves no changes to your treatment, and can be completed entirely at home.

I took the guest survey. How do I interpret the graphs?

The graph are called histograms. They show the percent of NDB participants with each possible score. For example, for pain, the possible scores are 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 all the way to 10.0. Along the left axis of the graph is the percent level. The greater the percent, the more NDB participants who have that score.

How do you calculate the average score?

To get this score NDB searches its database for people of your sex and diagnosis. Then it estimates what the average score would be if all of the participants were your age.

How do I know how to interpret my score?

If your score is much above or below average then you are doing better or worse than average. For pain, for example, you are having more or less pain than average.

What is the Symptom Intensity Scale?

The SI scale is a measure of the intensity of fibromyalgia symptoms. All people, regardless of diagnosis, have some fibromyalgia symptoms. For the SI scale these symptoms are the extent of pain and the severity of fatigue. For people who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, the SI scale is a measure of their current fibromyalgia severity.

What can I do with these graphs?

You can use them to evaluate yourself or you can show them to you doctor.

Will my name and medical information be available to anyone else?

No. If you only completed the guest questionnaire, then we don't know who you are. The NDB does not give away names, sell them, or make them available to anyone else. The NDB has been collecting arthritis data for more than 25 years and no outside person has ever had access to anyone’s name. Please read more about privacy using the link at the top.