Patient delays in seeking help at the onset of rheumatoid arthritis: the problem, its causes and potential solutions

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease for which early treatment is vital to limit long term joint damage. However, people often delay in seeking medical help at the onset of RA symptoms. The early interpretation of symptoms and the process of making sense of symptoms impacts on both help-seeking decision-making and self-management. Furthermore, the general public’s perceptions and knowledge of RA may also affect the way that symptoms are interpreted. Examining the psychology behind early symptom interpretation, the barriers to help-seeking behaviour and investigating the public understandings of RA, can help us understand how decisions are made and guide us in developing interventions which encourage people to seek help promptly at the onset of RA

Gout and risk of chronic kidney disease and nephrolithiasis meta-analysis of observational studies

ntroduction To determine the prevalence of chronic kidney disease and nephrolithiasis in people with gout, and the association between gout and prevalent or incident chronic kidney disease and nephrolithiasis. Methods Systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological studies. Data sources; MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL databases, hand-searched reference lists, citation history and contact with authors. Eligibility criteria: cohort, case–control or cross-sectional studies which examined the occurrence of chronic kidney disease or nephrolithiasis amongst adults with gout (with or without a non-gout comparator group) in primary care or general population samples. Prevalence and risk estimate meta-analyses were performed using a random-effects model. Results Seventeen studies were included in the meta-analysis (chronic kidney disease n = 7, nephrolithiasis n = 8, both n = 2). Pooled prevalence estimates of chronic kidney disease stage ≥3 and self-reported lifetime nephrolithiasis in people with gout were 24% (95% confidence interval 19% to 28%) and 14% (95% CI 12% to 17%) respectively. Gout was associated with both chronic kidney disease (pooled adjusted odds ratio 2.41, 95% confidence interval 1.86 to 3.11) and self-reported lifetime nephrolithiasis (1.77, 1.43 to 2.19). Conclusions Chronic kidney disease and nephrolithiasis are commonly found amongst patients with gout. Gout is independently associated with both chronic kidney disease and nephrolithiasis. Patients with gout should be actively screened for chronic kidney disease and its consequences

Using Google Trends to assess the impact of global public health days on online health information seeking behaviour in Central and South America

Background Public health awareness can help prevent illness and result in earlier intervention when it does occur. For this reason, health promotion and disease awareness campaigns have great potential to alleviate the global burden of disease. Global Public Health Days (GPHD) are frequently implemented with this intent, but research evaluating their effectiveness, especially in the developing world setting, is scant. Objectives We aimed to evaluate the impact of four GPHDs (World Cancer Day, World Diabetes Day, World Mental Health Day, World AIDS Day) on online health information seeking behaviour (OHISB) in five Central and South American (CSA) countries which differ in their stage of economic development and epidemiological transition (Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Nicaragua). Methods Google Trends data was used as a ‘surrogate’ of OHISB. This was measured on the 28 days leading up to the GPHD, on the date of the GPHD, and on the seven days following it. The Joinpoint regression programme was used to perform a time trend analysis on the Google Trends data. This allowed us to identify statistically significant time points of a change in trend, which reflect significant ‘changes’ to OHISB. Results GPHDs were inconsistently effective at influencing internet search query activity in the studied countries. In situations where an effect was significant, this impact was consistently short-term, with Relative Search Volume level returning to precampaign levels within 7 days of the GPHD. Conclusions Our findings imply the need to revise GPHDs or create alternative health awareness campaigns, perhaps with a more long-term approach and tailored to the specific health needs of the CSA population. Developing effective preventive strategies is vital in helping combat the rising threat of NCDs in this region

An algorithm to identify rheumatoid arthritis in primary care: a Clinical Practice Research Datalink study

Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a multisystem, inflammatory disorder associated with increased levels of morbidity and mortality. While much research into the condition is conducted in the secondary care setting, routinely collected primary care databases provide an important source of research data. This study aimed to update an algorithm to define RA that was previously developed and validated in the General Practice Research Database (GPRD). Methods: The original algorithm consisted of two criteria. Individuals meeting at least one were considered to have RA. Criterion 1:≥1 RA Read code and a disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) without an alternative indication. Criterion 2:≥2RA Read codes, with at least one 'strong' code and no alternative diagnoses. Lists of codes for consultations and prescriptions were obtained from the authors of the original algorithm where these were available, or compiled based on the original description and clinical knowledge. 4161 people with a first Read code for RA between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2012 were selected from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD, successor to the GPRD), and the criteria applied. Results: Code lists were updated for the introduction of new Read codes and biological DMARDs. 3577/ 4161 (86%) of people met the updated algorithm for RA, compared to 61% in the original development study. 62.8% of people fulfilled both Criterion 1 and Criterion 2. Conclusions: Those wishing to define RA in the CPRD, should consider using this updated algorithm, rather than a single RA code, if they wish to identify only those who are most likely to have RA

Applying quantitative bias analysis to estimate the plausible effects of selection bias in a cluster randomised controlled trial: secondary analysis of the Primary care Osteoarthritis Screening Trial (POST).

BACKGROUND: Selection bias is a concern when designing cluster randomised controlled trials (c-RCT). Despite addressing potential issues at the design stage, bias cannot always be eradicated from a trial design. The application of bias analysis presents an important step forward in evaluating whether trial findings are credible. The aim of this paper is to give an example of the technique to quantify potential selection bias in c-RCTs. METHODS: This analysis uses data from the Primary care Osteoarthritis Screening Trial (POST). The primary aim of this trial was to test whether screening for anxiety and depression, and providing appropriate care for patients consulting their GP with osteoarthritis would improve clinical outcomes. Quantitative bias analysis is a seldom-used technique that can quantify types of bias present in studies. Due to lack of information on the selection probability, probabilistic bias analysis with a range of triangular distributions was also used, applied at all three follow-up time points; 3, 6, and 12 months post consultation. A simple bias analysis was also applied to the study. RESULTS: Worse pain outcomes were observed among intervention participants than control participants (crude odds ratio at 3, 6, and 12 months: 1.30 (95% CI 1.01, 1.67), 1.39 (1.07, 1.80), and 1.17 (95% CI 0.90, 1.53), respectively). Probabilistic bias analysis suggested that the observed effect became statistically non-significant if the selection probability ratio was between 1.2 and 1.4. Selection probability ratios of > 1.8 were needed to mask a statistically significant benefit of the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The use of probabilistic bias analysis in this c-RCT suggested that worse outcomes observed in the intervention arm could plausibly be attributed to selection bias. A very large degree of selection of bias was needed to mask a beneficial effect of intervention making this interpretation less plausible

What does a primary care annual review for RA include? A national GP survey

Letter to the edito

Is cancer associated with polymyalgia rheumatica?: A cohort study in the General Practice Research Database

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence of new cancer diagnoses in a community sample of patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). METHODS: All incident cases of PMR in the UK General Practice Research Database (GPRD) (1987-99), without pre-existing cancer or vascular disease and treated with corticosteroids (n=2877) were matched with up to five age, sex and GP practice patients without PMR (n=9942). Participants were followed up until first cancer diagnosis, death, transfer out of the database or end of available records. RESULTS: The mean age of the sample was 71.6 years (SD 9.0), 73% were female. Median follow-up time was 7.8 years (IQR 3.4, 12.3). 667 (23.2%) people with a PMR diagnosis developed cancer compared with 1938 (19.5%) of those without PMR. There was an interaction between PMR status and time. In the first 6 months after diagnosis, those with a PMR diagnosis were significantly more likely to receive a cancer diagnosis (adjusted HR (95% CI): 1.69 (1.18 to 2.42)). The number of events was small, but occurrences of prostate, blood, lymph nodes, female reproductive and nervous system cancers may be more common in those with PMR in the first 6 months after PMR diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: An increase in the rate of cancer diagnoses was noted in the first 6 months of observation, but we were unable to determine whether the cancer incidence in PMR was different from controls, beyond this time point. Clinicians should ensure they fully exclude cancer as a cause of PMR-like symptoms and monitor patients for possible malignancies

Mortality among patients with polymyalgia rheumatica: A retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is associated with premature mortality. METHODS: We extracted anonymised electronic medical records of patients over the age of 40 years, who were eligible for linkage with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Death Registration dataset, from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink from 1990-2016. Patients with PMR were individually matched by age, sex and registered General Practice with up to 5 controls without PMR. The total number and proportion of deaths and mortality rates were calculated. The mortality rate ratio (MRR), with 95% confidence interval (CI), adjusted for age, sex, region, smoking status, body mass index (BMI), and alcohol consumption, was calculated using Poisson regression. The twenty most common causes of death were tabulated. RESULTS: 18,943 patients with PMR were matched to 87,801 controls. Mean (standard deviation) follow-up after date of diagnosis was 8.0 (4.4) years in patients with PMR, and 7.9 (4.6) in controls. PMR was not associated with an increase in the risk of death (adjusted MRR 1.00 [95% CI 0.97, 1.03]) compared to matched controls. Causes of death were broadly similar between patients with PMR and controls, although patients with PMR were slightly more likely to have a vascular cause of death recorded (24% vs 23%). CONCLUSIONS: A diagnosis with PMR does not appear to increase the risk of premature death. Minor variations in cause of death were observed, but overall this study is reassuring for patients with PMR and clinicians

Illness perceptions of gout patients and the use of allopurinol in primary care: baseline findings from a prospective cohort study

Background Patients’ perceptions of their illness are dynamic and can directly influence aspects of management. Our aim was to examine the illness perceptions of gout patients in UK primary care and associations with allopurinol use. Methods A health questionnaire was sent to 1805 people with gout aged ≥18 years identified by a gout diagnosis or prescriptions for allopurinol or colchicine in their primary care medical records in the preceding 2 years. The questionnaire included selected items from the revised illness perception questionnaire (IPQ-R). Associations between illness perceptions and use of allopurinol were calculated using multinomial logistic regression adjusted for age, gender, deprivation status, body mass index, alcohol consumption, comorbidities and gout characteristics. Results One thousand one hundred eighty-four participants responded to the baseline questionnaire (65.6 %). Approximately half of responders perceived that they were able to control (51.2 %) or affect their gout through their own actions (44.8 %). Three quarters perceived treatments to be effective (76.4 %) and agreed that gout is a serious condition (76.4 %). Patients who agreed that they could control their gout (Relative Risk Ratio, 95 % confidence interval 1.66 (1.12 to 2.45)) and that treatments were effective (2.24 (1.32 to 3.81)) were more likely to currently be using allopurinol than not using allopurinol. However, this significance was attenuated after adjustment for self-reported gout characteristics (1.39 (0.89 to 2.17) & 1.78 (0.96 to 3.29) respectively). Conclusions Patients who perceive that they can control their gout and that treatments are effective are more likely to be using allopurinol, this suggests that better information is needed for the patient from GPs and rheumatologist to reassure and support their use of UL