From Symptoms to Diagnosis: An Observational Study of the Journey of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in Saudi Arabia

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is often not diagnosed or treated quickly enough to alter outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the lag times from disease onset to first clinical consultation and diagnosis and to identify factors contributing to delayed diagnosis in Saudi Arabia.

This retrospective, multicenter study collected data on 250 patients, from six hospitals in Saudi Arabia, who met the 2010 American College of Rheumatology criteria for RA.

The patients mean age was 43.3±12.0 years (mean disease duration: 6.6±5.8 years). The majority were female (84.8%) and presented with joint pain during RA onset (83.6%). On average, they consulted 4.3±2.5 physicians from the first symptoms to the final diagnosis. The mean time from onset to first physician visit (lag 1) was 6.2±5.5 months, whereas the mean time was 30.2±16.0 months between the initial visit and final RA diagnosis (lag 2). Only 3.2% of patients initially sought consultation from a rheumatologist, while 67.2%, 23.6%, and 6.0% first met with orthopedic surgeons, general practitioners, and non-rheumatologists, respectively. Non-rheumatologists offered diagnoses in 24.4% of cases while rheumatologists diagnosed 75.6%. The absence of early hand/wrist involvement and fatigue were associated with delayed RA diagnosis (long lag 2; p<0.010). Moreover, geographic distribution influenced RA diagnosis, with rural patients experiencing a greater delay than urban patients (p<0.0001).

Failure of patients to be seen by rheumatologists at RA onset delayed diagnosis and treatment. Thus, RA diagnosis can be accelerated by encouraging early referral to rheumatologists.