Anna Jöud

International comparisons of the consultation prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions using population-based healthcare data from England and Sweden

Objectives To assess the consultation prevalence of musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions as presented in different healthcare systems, and to determine the feasibility of comparing prevalence figures between nations. Methods The settings were an English regional database (Consultations in Primary Care Archive (CiPCA)) and the Swedish Skåne County Health Care Register. Case definitions, data extraction and analysis procedures were harmonised. The number of people consulting per 10 000 registered population in primary care, and in primary or secondary care, in the year 2010 (annual consultation prevalence) were determined for doctor-diagnosed osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), low back pain, and spondyloarthritis including psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Seven-year period consultation prevalences were also determined. Results Combining primary and secondary care, annual consultation prevalences of any MSK condition (2143 vs 1610/10 000) and low back pain (587 vs 294/10 000) were higher in England than in Sweden, but higher for RA, spondyloarthritis and psoriatic arthritis in Sweden. Annual primary care prevalence figures for OA (176 vs 196/10 000), RA (25 vs 26/10 000), spondyloarthritis (both 8/10 000) and psoriatic arthritis (5 vs 3/10 000) were similar between England and Sweden. AS was rarely recorded in Swedish primary care. These patterns were also observed for 7-year period consultation prevalences. Conclusions A rigorous methodological approach allowed feasible comparison of MSK consultation prevalence between England and Sweden. Differences in prevalence of inflammatory and unspecific pain conditions may be partially explained by known variations in healthcare systems and recording practice. Routine healthcare data offers potential for investigating variations in occurrence and outcome of MSK conditions between nations.

Population-based consultation patterns in patients with shoulder pain diagnoses.

BackgroundTo assess the annual consultation prevalence and new onset consultation rate for doctor-diagnosed shoulder pain conditions.MethodsWe identified all residents in the southernmost county in Sweden who received a shoulder pain diagnosis during 2006 (ICD-10 code M75). In subjects who did not consult due to such disorders during 2004 and 2005, we estimated the new onset consultation rate. The distribution of specific shoulder conditions and the length of the period of repeated consultation were calculated.ResultsAnnual consultation prevalence was 103/10 000 women and 98/10 000 men. New onset consultation rate was 80/10 000 women (peak in age 50–59 at 129/10 000) and 74/10 000 men (peak in age 60–69 at 116/10 000). About one fifth of both genders continued to consult more than three months after initial presentation, but only a few percent beyond two years. Rotator cuff - and impingement syndromes were the most frequent diagnoses.ConclusionThe annual consultation prevalence for shoulder pain conditions (1%) was similar in women and men, and about two thirds of patients consulted a doctor only once. Impingement and rotator cuff syndromes were the most frequent diagnoses.

Decrease in sick leave among patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the first 12 months after start of treatment with tumour necrosis factor antagonists: a population-based controlled cohort study

Objective To investigate the effect of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) antagonist treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on sick leave (SL) and disability pension (DP) in a population-based setting in southern Sweden. Methods All patients with RA in the South Swedish Arthritis Treatment Group register living in the county of Skåne (population 1.2 million), who started their first treatment with a TNF antagonist between January 2004 and December 2007 and were 18–58 years at treatment start (n=365), were identified. For each patient with RA, four matched reference subjects from the general population were randomly selected. Data were linked to the Swedish Social Insurance Agency register and the point prevalence of SL and DP as well as days of SL and DP per month were calculated from 360 days before until 360 days after treatment start. Results At treatment start 38.6% of the patients with RA were registered for SL. During the first 6 months this share dropped to 28.5% (decrease by 26.2%, p<0.001). This level remained stable throughout the first treatment year. Comparing patients with RA to the reference group the relative risk of being on SL was 6.6 (95% CI 5.2 to 8.5) at initiation of anti-TNF treatment and 5.2 (95% CI 4.0 to 6.8) 1 year after that. The corresponding figures for DP were 3.4 (95% CI 2.7 to 4.2) and 3.2 (95% CI 2.7 to 3.9). Conclusions There was a marked decline in SL during the first 6 months of TNF antagonist treatment in patients with RA in southern Sweden, maintained throughout the first year, which was not offset by a corresponding increase in DP.

Sick leave in patients with ankylosing spondylitis before and after anti-TNF therapy: a population-based cohort study

OBJECTIVE To study levels of sick leave and disability pension before and after TNF-antagonist therapy in AS patients. METHODS Using the population-based South Swedish Arthritis Treatment Group register, we identified 139 AS patients (aged 18-58 years, 78% men), who between January 2002 and December 2008 started their first treatment with adalimumab, etanercept or infliximab. We linked data to the payment register by the Swedish Social Insurance Agency and calculated the proportion on sick leave in 30-day intervals from 12 months before treatment start until 12 months after. For each AS patient, we randomly selected four subjects from the general population matched for age, sex and area of residence. RESULTS One to 3 months before treatment, an average of 24% of AS patients were on sick leave. During the first 6 months after treatment start, this fraction dropped to 15%, and further declined to 12% at 12 months (P < 0.001). Comparing AS patients with the general population, the relative risk of being on sick leave 3 months before treatment, treatment start and 12 months after treatment start was 8.0 (95% CI 4.6, 13.9), 9.2 (95% CI 5.4, 15.7) and 4.0 (95% CI 2.1, 6.3), respectively. The decrease in sick leave was not substantially offset by changes in disability pension. CONCLUSION There is a decline in sick leave during the first 12 months after initiation of TNF-antagonist treatment in AS patients not explained by societal factors or secular trends. The proportion of AS patients on disability pension remained unchanged during the observation period.

Low back pain - epidemiology of consultations.

Low back pain (LBP) affects most people at some stage in life. However, the burden on the health care system is unclear. We studied: 1) the 1‐year consultation prevalence, 2) the rate of first‐time consultation for LBP and the relationship of the frequency to other musculoskeletal conditions, and 3) the health care utilization of patients with LBP compared to the general population.

Promoting work ability in a structured national rehabilitation program in patients with musculoskeletal disorders: outcomes and predictors in a prospective cohort study

BackgroundMusculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a major reason for impaired work productivity and sick leave. In 2009, a national rehabilitation program was introduced in Sweden to promote work ability, and patients with MSDs were offered multimodal rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of this program on health related quality of life, function, sick leave and work ability.MethodsWe conducted a prospective, observational cohort study including 406 patients with MSDs attending multimodal rehabilitation. Changes over time and differences between groups were analysed concerning function, health related quality of life, work ability and sick leave. Regression analyses were used to study the outcome variables health related quality of life (measured with EQ-5D), and sick leave.ResultsFunctional ability and health related quality of life improved after rehabilitation. Patients with no sick leave/disability pension the year before rehabilitation, improved health related quality of life more than patients with sick leave/disability pension the year before rehabilitation (p = 0.044). During a period of −/+ four months from rehabilitation start, patients with EQ-5D ≥ 0.5 at rehabilitation start, reduced their net sick leave days with 0.5 days and patients with EQ-5D <0.5 at rehabilitation start, increased net sick leave days with 1.5 days (p = 0.019). Factors negatively associated with sick leave at follow-up were earlier episodes of sick leave/disability pension, problems with exercise tolerance functions and mobility after rehabilitation. Higher age was associated with not being on sick leave at follow-up and reaching an EQ-5D ≥ 0.5 at follow-up. Severe pain after rehabilitation, problems with exercise tolerance functions, born outside of Sweden and full-time sick leave/disability pension the year before rehabilitation were all associated with an EQ-5D level < 0.5 at follow-up.ConclusionsPatients with MSDs participating in a national work promoting rehabilitation program significantly improved their health related quality of life and functional ability, especially those with no sick leave. This shows that vocational rehabilitation programs in a primary health care setting are effective. The findings of this study can also be valuable for more appropriate patient selection for rehabilitation programs for MSDs.

Antithrombotic therapy in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation in Southern Sweden: A population-based cohort study.

INTRODUCTION Oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) with moderate-to-high stroke risk are strongly recommended by the current guidelines. MATERIALS AND METHODS Population-based register study of all 13,837 patients with incident non-valvular AF diagnosed during 2011-2014 in primary and secondary care (including all in- and outpatient visits) in Skåne County, Sweden. The outcome was the prescription of direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOAC), warfarin or acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION Guideline adherence increased from 47.6% in 2011 to 66.1% in 2014, mostly due to decrease in undertreatment. In patients with CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥ 2, ASA uptake decreased from 29.9% to 14.7% and DOAC uptake increased from 2.1% to 25.1%. The use of ASA was more common among elderly and with increasing stroke- and bleeding risk. Overall, 47.4% of patients with CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥ 2 did not receive oral anticoagulants. Undertreatment was particularly common in women < 65 years (55.8%) and in patients > 84 years (65.3% in women and 62% in men). Overtreatment of patients at low stroke risk was 35.9% in men and 36.4% in women. Provider speciality affected the choice of treatment only to a minor degree. Despite increasing guideline adherence, there is a suboptimal use of antithrombotic therapy in a large proportion of AF patients diagnosed in different clinical settings. Efforts to further improve guideline adherence should particularly be targeted on women < 65 years, elderly > 84 years and patients at low stroke risk.

Healthcare consultation and sick leave before and after neck injury: a cohort study with matched population-based references.

Objectives Recent studies based on self-assessed data on exposure and outcome suggest a negative association between poor health before neck injury and recovery. Our aim was to study actual healthcare consultation and work disability before and after neck injury (whiplash). Design Cohort study with matched references studied prospectively and retrospectively via regional and national held registers. Setting Population-based study in Region Skåne, Sweden (population=1.21 million) including all levels of healthcare. Participants 1443 participants aged ≥18 (54% women) with acute neck injury, Whiplash, (International Classification of Diseases-10-SE code S13.4*) in 2007 or 2008 and no such diagnosis since 1998. Each patient with a neck injury was assigned four randomly selected population references matched for age, sex and area of residence (97% of the patients and 94% of the references were followed during the whole study period). Primary and secondary outcome measures We studied changes in healthcare consultations 3 years before to 3 years after diagnosis as well as sick leave episodes. Analyses were also stratified by preinjury frequency of consultation. Results Before the injury, the mean number of total consultations over 36 months among the neck injured (n=1443) and references (n=5772) was 9.3 vs 7.2 (p<0.0001) and postneck injury 12.7 vs 7.8 (p<0.0001). In the group of high-frequent consulters, there were more women compared with frequent and low-frequent consulters (70.6% vs 32.8%; p<0.0001). Among low-frequent and frequent consulters preinjury (n=967, 67% of the cohort), 16% became high-frequent consulters attributable to the injury. The number of days of sick leave preinjury was correlated with the number of preinjury and postinjury consultations (r=0.47 (99% CI 0.38 to 0.49), r=0.32 (99% CI 0.25 to 0.37)). Conclusions People with a neck injury constitute a heterogeneous group. The preinjury level of healthcare consultation is associated with the postinjury level of consultation.

Sickness Absence from Work among Persons with New Physician-Diagnosed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Population-Based Matched- Cohort Study

Background Carpal tunnel syndrome is common among employed persons. Data on sickness absence from work in relation to carpal tunnel syndrome have been usually based on self-report and derived from clinical or occupational populations. We aimed to determine sickness absence among persons with physician-diagnosed carpal tunnel syndrome as compared to the general population. Methods In Skåne region in Sweden we identified all subjects, aged 17–57 years, with new physician-made diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome during 5 years (2004–2008). For each subject we randomly sampled, from the general population, 4 matched reference subjects without carpal tunnel syndrome; the two cohorts comprised 5456 and 21,667 subjects, respectively (73% women; mean age 43 years). We retrieved social insurance register data on all sickness absence periods longer than 2 weeks from 12 months before to 24 months after diagnosis. Of those with carpal tunnel syndrome 2111 women (53%) and 710 men (48%) underwent surgery within 24 months of diagnosis. We compared all-cause sickness absence and analyzed sickness absence in conjunction with diagnosis and surgery. Results Mean number of all-cause sickness absence days per each 30-day period from 12 months before to 24 months after diagnosis was significantly higher in the carpal tunnel syndrome than in the reference cohort. A new sickness absence period longer than 2 weeks in conjunction with diagnosis was recorded in 12% of the women (n = 492) and 11% of the men (n = 170) and with surgery in 53% (n = 1121) and 58% (n = 408) of the surgically treated, respectively; median duration in conjunction with surgery was 35 days (IQR 27–45) for women and 41 days (IQR 28–50) for men. Conclusions Persons with physician-diagnosed carpal tunnel syndrome have substantially more sickness absence from work than age and sex-matched persons from the general population from1 year before to 2 years after diagnosis. Gender differences were small.

Influences on the decision to use an osteoarthritis diagnosis in primary care: a cohort study with linked survey and electronic health record data.

Summary Objective Clinicians may record patients presenting with osteoarthritis (OA) symptoms with joint pain rather than an OA diagnosis. This may have implications for OA research studies and patient care. The objective was to assess whether older adults recorded with joint pain are similar to those with a recorded OA diagnosis. Method A study of adults aged ≥50 years in eight United Kingdom general practices, with electronic health records linked to survey data. Patients with a recorded regional OA diagnosis were compared to those with a recorded joint pain symptom on socio-demographics, risk factors, body region, pain severity, prescribed analgesia, and potential differential diagnoses. A sub-group was compared on radiographic knee OA. Results Thirteen thousand eight hundred and thirty-one survey responders consented to record review. One thousand four hundred and twenty-seven (10%) received an OA (n = 616) or joint pain (n = 811) code with wide practice variation. Receiving an OA diagnosis was associated with age (75+ compared to 50–64 OR 3.25; 95% Credible intervals (CrI) 2.36, 4.53), obesity (1.72; 1.22, 2.33), and pain interference (1.45; 1.09, 1.92). Analgesia management was similar. Radiographic OA was common in both groups. A quarter of those with a joint pain record received an OA diagnosis in the following 6 years. Conclusion Recording OA diagnoses are less common than recording a joint pain symptom and associated with risk factors and severity. OA studies in primary care need to consider joint pain symptoms to understand the burden and quality of care across the spectrum of OA. Patients recorded with joint pain may represent early cases of OA with need for early intervention.