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Radiologic procedures more frequent in patients with RA
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Radiologic procedures were performed more frequently in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, especially in women and those with rheumatoid factor, compared to patients without rheumatoid arthritis, according to a recently published study.
Marcia Venegas-Pont, MD, and colleagues used the Rochester Epidemiology Project medical record linkage system to study the medical records of 650 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 650 patients without RA who were of similar age and gender, and who fulfilled the 1987 American College of Rheumatology criteria for RA. The population-based cohort was from Olmsted County, Minn., and enrolled between 1988 and 2007. Mean age was 55.8 years and the cohort was 69% female.
A total of 27,088 radiographic procedures were performed in RA patients vs. 21,006 radiographic procedures in non-RA group. Procedures included conventional radiographs of the ankle, chest, elbow, feet, hand, hip, spine and other locations. Other tests included radionuclide bone imaging and mammograms. CT and MRI were conducted on the head and upper and lower extremities of patients.
Patients with RA were shown to undergo more chest radiographs than patients without RA (RR=1.33) and upper extremity (RR=2.97) lower extremity (RR=2.05), bone radionuclide (RR=1.90) and DXA (RR=1.77) imaging.
Patients with RA also had more conventional radiographs of the spine, hip, pelvis and sacroiliac joints, especially if the patient was positive for rheumatoid factor.
Both women with and without RA were more likely to undergo more procedures than men (RR=1.20).
Follow-up radiographs of the hand and wrist were obtained in 57% of patients within the first year of diagnosis, and in 42% after 1 year to 3 years. Three years to 5 years after diagnosis, 32% obtained hand or wrist images. After 5 years, 28% had follow-up imaging.
Disclosure: The authors reported no relevant financial disclosures.
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