Abstract
Objective
The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in Northern Alberta estimated by health administrative data and data from a rheumatologist-based prescription database.
Methods
The study was performed using administrative health data from the province of Alberta through the local health authority. The cases and population identified in the database were reported from the year 2016. Rheumatology prescribing data was accessed through the Physician Learning Program and based on Alberta health billing data of actively practicing rheumatologists between the years 2012 and 2016. Ethics was provided by the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Boards at the University of Calgary (REB 13-0459).
Results
The total population of the area examined was determined to be 2,086,181. The administrative health database identified 42,354 cases of RA based on their case definition with a prevalence of 2.08%. Based on rheumatologist diagnosis and prescribing data, the number of cases identified was 11,273 cases of RA with a prevalence of 0.542%. The average percentage of identified RA patients being seen by a rheumatologist was determined to be 26.7% with the range of 19.8 to 39.9%.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this study compares and contrasts the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis reported by administrative data versus identification by specialists. Our study again illustrates that accuracy of case definitions when studying chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis is paramount. The results also suggest a lack of access to rheumatologist services in Northern Alberta and reiterate the need for ongoing recruitment of new rheumatologists as has been highlighted previously.
Key Points • The main contribution of this paper is to compare and contrast the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis as reported by administrative data versus identification by specialists. • Our study also shows the distribution of rheumatoid arthritis in a large geographical area and illustrates a lack of access to subspecialty care in certain regions. |
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Widdifield J, Paterson JM, Bernatsky S et al (2014) The epidemiology of rheumatoid arthritis in Ontario, Canada. Arthritis Rheum 66:786–793
Barnabe C, Jones CA, Bernatsky S et al (2017) Inflammatory arthritis prevalence and health services use in the First Nations and non–First Nations Populations of Alberta, Canada. Arthritis Care Res 69:467–474
Bernatsky S, Dekis A, Hudson M et al (2014) Rheumatoid arthritis prevalence in Quebec. BMC Res Notes 7:937
Lacaille D, Anis AH, Guh DP, Esdaile JM (2005) Gaps in care for rheumatoid arthritis: a population study. Arthritis Rheum 53:241–248
Hanly JG, Thompson K, Skedgel C (2015) The use of administrative health care databases to identify patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Open Access Rheumatol 7:69–75
Alberta Interactive health data application. http://www.ahw.gov.ab.ca/IHDA_Retrieval/
Barber CE, Patel JN, Woodhouse L et al (2015) Development of key performance indicators to evaluate centralized intake for patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Res Ther 17:322
Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge the contributions of the Physician Learning Program.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethics was provided by the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Boards at the University of Calgary (REB 13-0459).
Disclosures
None.
Additional information
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Soo, J., Eldeiry, D. & Katz, S. Prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in Edmonton and Northern Alberta. Clin Rheumatol 40, 1245–1248 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-020-05352-5
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-020-05352-5