Poster Presentations (PP01-PP67)

• Published in: Rheumatology (Oxford, England) England), 2012-02, Vol.51 (suppl_1), p.i18-i33
• Main Authors: Santos-Moreno, Pedro, Bello, Juan, Palomino, Analhi, Villarreal, Laura, Zambrano, Diana, Amador, Luisa, Andrade, Olga, Urbina, Andrea, Guzman, Claudia, Cubides, Mafe, Arbelaez, Ana, Valle-Oñate, Rafael, Galarza-Maldonado, Claudio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1462-0324; 1462-0332
• DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/kes005

Introduction: The lack of expertise in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by general practitioners (GPs) has led to misdiagnosis of patients with this disease. It was found that osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most frequent causes of false-positive classification of OA as RA. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical and demographic characteristics of a cohort of patients with OA, which were referred with presumptive diagnosis and management for RA. Methods: In a specialized center in RA, last 8 months were assessed 2478 patients with presumptive diagnosis of RA which were sent by general practitioners. Patients were evaluated by a rheumatologist, was made a complete medical history, was measured rheumatoid factor and anti-citrullinated antibodies, and other laboratories depending on each case. They are also performed comparative x-rays of hands, and in some cases of persistent doubt about the diagnosis was requested comparative MRI of hands. Results: Of 2478 patients valued, 1485 patients (59.9%) had confirmed diagnosis of RA. It was found that 993 patients (40.1%) were misdiagnosed with RA, OA still with 646 patients (65%) the lesion most often led to misdiagnosis. 221 patients (34%) were male, and 425 patients (66%) women. The average age was 53 years for women and 62 years for men. Many of these patients were receiving disease-modifying drugs (DMARDs) on average during the last 4.5 years (1-10 years). Also were 2 patients using biologics for more than one year. Conclusions: This study shows that OA is the main distraction pathology in the misdiagnosis of AR, and the need for the implementation of specialized clinics in RA and programs for education of GPs in rheumatic diseases. Disclosure statement: The authors have declared no conflict of interest.