Table 2.
Patient journey and treatment stratified by gender (N 2846, unless otherwise specified)
| Men (n 1100)(mean ± SD or %) | Women (n 1746)(mean ± SD or %) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disease characteristics | |||
| Age at onset of first symptoms (years), n 2721 | 27.0 ± 11.8 | 26.4 ± 10.7 | 0.342 |
| Age at diagnosis (years), n 2722 | 32.6 ± 12.2 | 34.4 ± 10.9 | < 0.001 |
| Diagnostic delay (years), n 2652 | 6.1 ± 7.4 | 8.2 ± 8.9 | < 0.001 |
| Disease Duration (years), n 2716 | 18.9 ± 13.3 | 16.1 ± 11.7 | < 0.001 |
| HCP seen before diagnosis | |||
| - General practitioner | 822 (74.7) | 1434 (82.1) | < 0.001 |
| - Orthopaedic specialist | 377 (34.3) | 557 (31.9) | 0.190 |
| - Physiotherapist | 380 (34.5) | 865 (49.5) | < 0.001 |
| - Osteopath, n 2166 | 103 (13.3) | 339 (24.4) | < 0.001 |
| - Other, n 2220 | 135 (14.0) | 233 (18.5) | 0.005 |
| Family history of axSpA (yes), n 2244 | 291 (33.5) | 584 (42.5) | < 0.001 |
| HLA-B27 (positive), n 1799 | 497 (80.2) | 786 (66.7) | < 0.001 |
| Uveitis (yes), n 2096 | 199 (25.2) | 270 (20.7) | 0.023 |
| Inflammatory bowel disease (yes), n 2096 | 113 (14.3) | 181 (13.9) | 0.688 |
| Treatment | |||
| Pharmacological treatment | |||
| - NSAIDs (without biologics), n 2319 | 324 (34.7) | 533 (38.5) | 0.068 |
| - Biologics (with or without NSAIDs), n 2316 | 359 (38.4) | 594 (43.0) | 0.024 |
| Alternative treatment (acupuncture, homoeopathy, etc.) (yes), n 2170 | 268 (34.3) | 541 (38.9) | 0.032 |
Bold values denote statistical significance at the p < 0.05 level