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Review
. 2020 Mar;7(1):65-87.
doi: 10.1007/s40744-020-00194-8. Epub 2020 Jan 21.

Clinical, Economic, and Humanistic Burden Associated With Delayed Diagnosis of Axial Spondyloarthritis: A Systematic Review

Esther Yi  1 , Amit Ahuja  2 , Tanvi Rajput  2 , Aneesh Thomas George  2 , Yujin Park  3
Affiliations
Review

Clinical, Economic, and Humanistic Burden Associated With Delayed Diagnosis of Axial Spondyloarthritis: A Systematic Review

Esther Yi et al. Rheumatol Ther. 2020 Mar.

Abstract

Introduction: Few studies have evaluated the impact of delayed diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) on the overall burden of disease. The objective of this review was to evaluate the available literature on the clinical, economic, and humanistic burden of delayed diagnosis in patients with axSpA.

Methods: This systematic literature review was conducted and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We searched the MEDLINE and Embase databases for English-language publications of original research articles (up to July 12, 2018) and conference abstracts (January 1, 2014, to July 12, 2018) reporting studies of adult patients with delayed diagnosis of axSpA associated with clinical, economic, or humanistic burden. Retrieved publications were screened for eligibility by two independent reviewers; discrepancies were resolved by a third independent reviewer. Data were extracted by one reviewer and validated by a second independent reviewer.

Results: A total of 1391 publications were retrieved, of which 21 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Of these, 15 reported data on clinical burden, nine on economic burden, and six on humanistic burden, with eight studies reporting a combination of clinical, economic, and/or humanistic burden. Patients with a delayed diagnosis of axSpA generally had higher disease activity, worse physical function, and more structural damage than those who received an earlier diagnosis. Patients with a delayed diagnosis also had a greater likelihood of work disability and higher direct and indirect healthcare costs than those who received an earlier diagnosis. Delayed diagnosis was associated with a greater likelihood for depression, negative psychological impacts, and worse quality of life.

Conclusions: Delayed axSpA diagnosis was associated with more functional impairment, higher healthcare costs, and worse quality of life, highlighting the importance of early recognition of axSpA to reduce extensive burden on patients and society. Plain language summary available for this article.

Keywords: Axial spondyloarthritis; Burden of illness; Cost of illness; Delayed diagnosis; Patient-reported outcome measures; Quality of life; Systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

Esther Yi and Yujin Park are employees of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Amit Ahuja, Tanvi Rajput, and Aneesh Thomas George are employees of Novartis Healthcare Pvt Ltd.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA diagram for study selection. Searches were performed on July 12, 2018. PRISMA, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. a Three studies had two publications each
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A Outcome types and B study designs of included studies. a Study references: clinical, 6, 35, 46, 49–52, 55, 59–65; economic, 35, 46, 52, 55–58, 62, 66; humanistic, 6, 53, 54, 62, 65, 66. b Study references: cross-sectional, 6, 35, 46, 49–51, 56, 58–60, 63, 66; retrospective observational, 52, 54, 55, 57, 61, 64; prospective observational, 62, 65; longitudinal cohort, 53
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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