CRDC: a Chinese rheumatology research platform

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Clinical Data Management
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Established in 2011, the Chinese Rheumatism Data Center (CRDC) evolved from the Chinese Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) Treatment and Research Group (CSTAR).
• The CRDC operates under the direction of the National Health and Family Planning Commission of the PRC.
• It aims to collect comprehensive data on Chinese patients with rheumatic diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the development, structure, funding, data collection, and quality control of the CRDC.
• To summarize the data collected by the CRDC.
• To highlight the CRDC's role as a national registry for improving clinical decision-making and supporting research in rheumatology.

Main Methods:

• The CRDC comprises 300 registration sites and 50 regional sites.
• Data collection covers 12 rheumatic diseases, including SLE, RA, and AS.
• A mobile application facilitates efficient and high-quality data collection.

Main Results:

• The CRDC has enrolled 17,224 patients to date.
• Publications based on CRDC data include studies on SLE demographics, pulmonary hypertension risk factors, autoantibody correlations, and fetal loss.
• The registry provides real-world data for evidence-based diagnosis and treatment.

Conclusions:

• The CRDC is a powerful, national research database providing valuable real-life data for Chinese rheumatology studies.
• It supports clinical decision-making and research without imposing additional workload on clinicians.
• The mobile application ensures efficient data collection and high data quality for Chinese rheumatic patients.