Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33982063›Full record

ArticleRheumatology (Oxford, England)2022

Diagnostic delay is common for patients with axial spondyloarthritis: results from the National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit.

Mark D Russell, Fiona Coath, Mark Yates, Katie Bechman, Sam Norton, James B Galloway, Joanna Ledingham, Raj Sengupta, Karl Gaffney

Erratum issuedOpen access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Rheumatology (Oxford, England), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 19% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Observational
  3. Observational
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Mark D RussellCentre for Rheumatic Diseases, King's College London, London.ORCID 0000-0001-8171-7772
Fiona CoathRheumatology Department, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich.
Mark YatesCentre for Rheumatic Diseases, King's College London, London.ORCID 0000-0001-5449-5211
Katie BechmanCentre for Rheumatic Diseases, King's College London, London.
Sam NortonCentre for Rheumatic Diseases, King's College London, London.ORCID 0000-0003-1714-9963
James B GallowayCentre for Rheumatic Diseases, King's College London, London.
Joanna LedinghamRheumatology Department, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, Portsmouth.
Raj SenguptaDepartment of Rheumatology, Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Bath, UK.
Karl GaffneyRheumatology Department, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich.
King's College London · GBNorfolk and Norwich University Hospital · GBPortsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust · GBRoyal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases · GB

Funding

Department of Health
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesUpdated guidelines for patients with axial SpA (axSpA) have sought to reduce diagnostic delay by raising awareness among clinicians. We used the National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit (NEIAA) to describe baseline characteristics and time to diagnosis for newly referred patients with axSpA in England and Wales.

methodsAnalyses were performed on sociodemographic and clinical metrics, including time to referral and assessment, for axSpA patients (n = 784) recruited to the NEIAA between May 2018 and March 2020. Comparators were patients recruited to the NEIAA with RA (n = 9270) or mechanical back pain (MBP; n = 370) in the same period.

resultsSymptom duration prior to initial rheumatology assessment was longer in axSpA than RA patients (P < 0.001) and non-significantly longer in axSpA than MBP patients (P = 0.062): 79.7% of axSpA patients had symptom durations of >6 months, compared with 33.7% of RA patients and 76.0% of MBP patients. Following referral, the median time to initial rheumatology assessment was longer for axSpA than RA patients (36 vs 24 days; P < 0.001) and similar to MBP patients (39 days; P = 0.30). Of the subset of patients deemed eligible for early inflammatory arthritis pathway follow-up, fewer axSpA than RA patients had disease education provided (77.5% vs 97.8%) and RA patients reported a better understanding of their condition and treatment.

conclusionDiagnostic delay in axSpA remains a major challenge despite improved disease understanding and updated referral guidelines. Disease education is provided to fewer axSpA than RA patients, highlighting the need for specialist clinics and support programmes for axSpA patients.

Indexed as

AdultAgedArthritis, RheumatoidAxial SpondyloarthritisBack PainDelayed DiagnosisFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedReferral and ConsultationTime FactorsUnited Kingdomankylosing spondylitisaxial spondyloarthritisdelaydiagnosisEIAnational auditNEIAArheumatoid arthritis

Identifiers

PMID33982063
PMCPMC8824413
OpenAlexW3162536268

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.