ArticleACR open rheumatology2021
Geographic Variation in the Prevalence of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Alberta, Canada.
Article in ACR open rheumatology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed.
- Avoidable Hospitalizations in Persons With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Population-Based Study Using Administrative Data.Arthritis care & research · 2025Article
- Informing equitable access to care: a cross-sectional study of travel burden to primary and rheumatology care for people with rheumatoid arthritis.International journal for equity in health · 2025Article
- Trends and disparities in the prevalence of diagnosed arthritis among United States adults from 2019 to 2022.Medicine · 2025Article
- Patient and Healthcare Provider Experience With Rheumatoid Arthritis in Northern Ontario, Canada: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.Musculoskeletal care · 2024Article
- Factors affecting the duration of initial medical care seeking among older rural patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis: a retrospective cohort study.BMC rheumatology · 2024Article
- Geospatial analysis of the hospitalisation rate of patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Hunan: a cross-sectional Chinese study.BMJ open · 2023Article
- Differentiating between Seronegative Elderly-Onset Rheumatoid Arthritis and Polymyalgia Rheumatica: A Qualitative Synthesis of Narrative Reviews.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Review
- Exploring the Spatial Distribution of Rheumatic Diseases and Its Correlation With Temperature and Humidity Among Middle-Aged and Elderly Adults in China.International journal of public health · 2022Article
- The Geospatial Distribution of Myositis and Its Phenotypes in the United States and Associations With Roadways: Findings From a National Myositis Patient Registry.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTimely access to rheumatologists remains a challenge in Alberta, a Canadian province with vast rural areas, whereas rheumatologists are primarily clustered in metro areas. To address the goal of timely and equitable access to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) care, health planners require information at the regional and local level to determine the RA prevalence and the associated health care needs.
methodsUsing Alberta Health administrative databases, we identified RA-prevalent cases (April 1, 2015-March 31, 2016) on the basis of a validated case definition. Age- and sex-standardized prevalence rates per 1000 population members and the standardized rates ratio (SRR) were calculated. We applied Global Moran's I and Gi* hotspot analysis using three different weight matrices to explore the geospatial pattern of RA prevalence in Alberta.
resultsAmong 38 350 RA cases (68% female; n = 26 236), the prevalence rate was 11.81 cases per 1000 population members (95% confidence interval [CI] 11.80-11.81) after age and sex standardization. Approximately 60% of RA cases resided in metro (Calgary and Edmonton) and moderate metro areas. The highest rate was observed in rural areas (14.46; 95% CI 14.45-14.47; SRR 1.28), compared with the lowest in metro areas (10.69; 95% CI 10.68-10.69; SRR 0.82). The RA prevalence across local geographic areas ranged from 4.7 to 30.6 cases. The Global Moran's I index was 0.15 using three different matrices (z-score 3.96-4.24). We identified 10 hotspots in the south and north rural areas and 18 cold spots in metro and moderate metro Calgary.
conclusionThe findings highlight notable rural-urban variation in RA prevalence in Alberta. Our findings can inform strategies aimed at reducing geographic disparities by targeting areas with high health care needs.
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