AB1303-HPR TIME UNTIL DIAGNOSIS IN RHEUMATOLOGICAL PRACTICE: RESULTS FROM A CROSS-SECTIONAL MIDDLE-EUROPEAN COHORT COMPARED TO DATA FROM A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW
Authors: R. Mc-Cutchan, S. Maier, V. Winkler, B. Gruber, M. Schirmer
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2020)

Background: The time from first symptom to diagnosis (= diagnostic delay) is considered as key factor for better outcome in many chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases, especially for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and vasculitides like giant cell arteritis (GCA). A longer diagnostic delay may cause pain, reduced functionality, reduced life-quality and increased morbidity, as well as structural damages of the organs linked with higher mortality. This retrospective study assessed the diagnostic delay in consecutive Middle-European outpatients and compared results with those of a systematic literature review (SLR). Objectives: To compare disease-specific diagnostic delays of consecutive rheumatic patients with international data from a systematic literature review. Methods: Charts of a single-centre cohort with consecutively recruited patients were retrospectively reviewed for patients’ and diseases’ characteristics at a Middle-European university outpatient clinic for rheumatology. A SLR was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. Results: The average mean ± SD time from first symptom to established diagnosis was 7.9 ± 11.7 (0.02-56.7) years. Spondyloarthritis patients showed the longest diagnostic delay with 13.1 ± 14.2 (0.1-56.7) years, whereas polymyalgia rheumatica-patients had the shortest diagnostic delay with 1.5 ± 0.4 (0.3-18.0) months. In the SLR, most data for diagnostic delays are comparable to the Innsbruck cohort, but the diagnostic delay for psoriatic arthritis in Innsbruck is longer than in the Danish DANBIO registry (p&lt;0.001). Independent risk factors for prolonged diagnostic delays could not be identified. Conclusion: For this Middle-European area, initiatives are justified especially to shorten diagnostic delays of SpA and PsA. References: [1]O’Dell JR. Treating rheumatoid arthritis early: A window of opportunity? Arthritis Rheum. 2002;46:283–5. [2]Seo MR, Baek HL, Yoon HH, Ryu HJ, Choi HJ, Baek HJ, et al. Delayed diagnosis is linked to worse outcomes and unfavourable treatment responses in patients with axial spondyloarthritis. Clin Rheumatol. 2015;34:1397–405. [3]Diagnostic delay of more than 6 months contributes to poor radiographic and functional outcome in psoriatic arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2015;74:1045–50. [4]Dejaco C, Brouwer E, Mason JC, Buttgereit F, Matteson EL, Dasgupta B. Giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica: current challenges and opportunities. Nat Rev Rheumatol. Nature Publishing Group; 2017;13:578–92. Acknowledgments: We acknowledge and thank all patients who could be recruited to the SolutionX project. Ethical vote was obtained by the local ethics committee of the Medical University of Innsbruck (AN2017-0041 370/4.18). Disclosure of Interests: Rick Mc-Cutchan: None declared, Sarah Maier: None declared, Valentin Winkler: None declared, Bernhard Gruber: None declared, Michael Schirmer Grant/research support from: total &lt;3000.- €, Speakers bureau: total &lt;3000.- €