[The subanalysis of Rheuma-VOR demonstrates a considerable need for rheumatological care].

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Internal Medicine
• Medical Diagnostics

Context:

• Early diagnosis of inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs) is crucial to prevent irreversible joint and organ damage.
• There is a growing deficit in rheumatological care capacity, especially in rural areas.
• The Rheuma-VOR study aimed to assess unconfirmed diagnoses to understand rheumatological referral patterns.

Purpose:

• To analyze unconfirmed diagnoses from the Rheuma-VOR study to identify definitive inflammatory rheumatic diseases.
• To evaluate the accuracy of initial diagnoses and the need for specialist rheumatological consultation.

Summary:

• A review of 910 unconfirmed diagnoses found that 245 patients (26.9%) had a confirmed alternative diagnosis.
• The confirmed diagnoses included degenerative joint changes (29.8%), inflammatory arthritis (26.1%), and collagenosis or vasculitis (40.5%).
• A significant portion of patients referred had conditions warranting rheumatological evaluation, indicating appropriate referrals despite diagnostic uncertainty.

Impact:

• Findings underscore the high prevalence of rheumatological conditions among patients with unconfirmed diagnoses.
• The study emphasizes the necessity of prioritizing patients for rheumatology consultations due to limited specialist availability.
• Optimizing the use of scarce rheumatological resources requires improved diagnostic triage and patient selection.