Delayed referral of female patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Abstract

To analyze whether sex differences in referral exist in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). At the Department of Rheumatology of the Leiden University Medical Center, a special early arthritis clinic (EAC) was established. General practitioners (GPs) were encouraged to refer patients with joint complaints to the EAC. Subsequently, the diagnosis RA was made by a rheumatologist. In this report, 142 women and 82 men were included. The delays in patient's first encounter with a GP for both sexes were comparable. However, a significant difference in the GP's delay in referring female patients with RA to the EAC in comparison with male patients was observed (median of 93 days vs 58 days; p = 0.008). This report determined GP referral delay of female patients to a rheumatologist. GPs should be made aware that early detection and early referral of patients with RA are crucial for early treatment.