Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient's Journey: Delay in Diagnosis and Treatment

The aims of this study were to establish delay times from articular symptoms onset to first rheumatologist consultation, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosis, and treatment initiation with disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy and to assess the impact of delayed diagnosis on structural damage.

This was an observational cohort study. Rheumatoid arthritis adult patients treated in a private health system between January 1, 1996, and December 31, 2016, were included. Electronic medical records were reviewed to obtain clinical and demographic data, dates of first disease symptom, diagnosis, and date of first treatment with DMARDs. Physical function (Health Assessment Questionnaire) and structural damage (Sharp score modified by van der Heijde) were also assessed.

Two hundred forty-six patients (81% female), with a mean age of 67.25 (standard deviation [SD], 14.53) years, were included. At the end of follow-up period, median Health Assessment Questionnaire (n = 145) and radiological scores (n = 171) were 0.125 (interquartile range, 0-0.87) and 15 (interquartile range, 6-33), respectively. A mean of 9.2 (SD, 20) months (median, 3 months) elapsed from the first disease symptom to rheumatologist consultation, 14.2 (SD, 24) months (median, 4.8 months) to RA diagnosis, and 16.9 (SD, 25.4) months (median, 7 months) to treatment initiation with DMARDs. Significantly greater structural damage was found in patients with a diagnosis delay of more than 12 months (n = 70) (p = 0.0325).

Despite good access to medical consultation in a private health system, there is still a delay to RA diagnosis and to start pharmacological therapy. A delay of more than 12 months was significantly associated with greater radiological damage after 5 years of follow-up.