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Rheumatoid arthritis often misdiagnosed

In February, Annelies Boonen recommended an article that brings into question the ability of general practitioners to correctly diagnose rheumatoid arthritis {1}. The article shows that a large proportion of patients in this study were initially misdiagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and that only 27% of patients were referred to a rheumatologist. Of the patients referred, only 17% of the patients received confirmation by a rheumatologist of a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.

Boonen is concerned as "the results appear worrying with regard to diagnostic ability and referral practice in first-line health care." Boonen believes that "rheumatologists should actively contribute to improve the diagnostic ability of general practitioners for rheumatological conditions and develop recommendations or guidelines for referral."

The attention that this article has received from other websites clearly demonstrates its importance to medicine. Ultimately, the diagnostic techniques of general practitioners and the medical resources available to them constantly need to be updated to ensure patients are always receiving the highest quality of medical care.

1. Feldman et al., Arthritis Rheum 2007, 57:1419-1425 [PMID:18050182]

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Posted by Natalie Davall on Thursday Mar 13, 2008, Category: Editorial News | Permalink