Table 1.
Patient demographics
| Patients | Total N = 600 |
Academic n = 367 |
Private n = 233 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years, mean ± SD | 49.6 ± 15.4 | 48.2 ± 15.8 | 51.9 ± 14.5 |
| Female, N (%) | 418 (69.7) | 259 (70.6%) | 159 (68.2%) |
| Diagnostic category | |||
| Non IRD, N (%) | 278 (46.3%) | 242 (65.9%) | 144(61.8%) |
| Undifferentiated arthritis | 19 (3.2%) | 9 (2.5%) | 10 (4.3%) |
| Axial spondyloarthritis | 31 (5.2%) | 21 (5.7%) | 10 (4.3%) |
| Inflammatory, other | 7 (1.2%) | 7 (1.9%) | 0 (0%) |
| Connective tissue disease | 22 (3.7%) | 18 (4.9%) | 4 (1.7%) |
| Peripheral spondyloarthritis | 3 (0.5%) | 3 (0.8%) | 0 (0%) |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 69 (11.5%) | 28 (7.6%) | 41 (17.6%) |
| Vasculitis | 8 (1.3%) | 4 (1.1%) | 4 (1.7%) |
| Psoriatic arthritis | 31 (5.2%) | 22 (6.0%) | 9 (3.9%) |
| Polymyalgia rheumatica | 16 (2.7%) | 7 (1.9%) | 9 (3.9%) |
| Degenerative causes | 71 (11.8%) | 45 (12.3%) | 26 (11.2%) |
| Fibromyalgia | 37 (6.2%) | 14 (3.8%) | 23 (9.9%) |
| Crystal arthropathy | 8 (1.3%) | 6 (1.6%) | 2 (0.9%) |
| Time from symptom onset to first web search, weeks, median (IQR)/mean ± SD | 2 (0.4–4.3) 3.1 ± 23.1 | 2 (0.4–5.7) 4.2 ± 29.4 | 1.43 (0.4–4.3) 1.4 ± 3.4 |
| Time from symptom onset to first physician request, weeks, median (IQR)/mean ± SD | 4 (2–10) 14 ± 38.6 | 4 (2–10 14.4 ± 43.5) | 4 (1–12) 13.3 ± 29.4 |
| Time from symptom onset to first doctors´ appointment, weeks, median (IQR)/mean ± SD | 5 (2–12) 15.9 ± 40.2 | 5 (2–12) 15.1 ± 42.9 | 6 (2–14) 17.2 ± 35.5 |
| Time from symptom onset to first rheumatologists´ appointment, weeks, median (IQR)/mean ± SD | 30 (12–82.5) 87.5 ± 152.8 | 50 (20–105.5) 112.7 ± 176.8 | 20 (8–50) 47.7 ± 91.2 |
| Tender joint count, mean ± SD | 1.6 ± 3.6 | 1.2 ± 3.5 | 2.3 ± 3.5 |
| Swollen joint count, mean ± SD | 0.9 ± 2.4 | 0.4 ± 1.3 | 1.8 ± 3.3 |
| Visual analog scale global, cm, mean ± SD | 38.4 ± 28.3 | 44 ± 25.3 | 29.2 ± 30.6 |
| Morning stiffness, min, mean ± SD | 16.8 ± 28.8 | 16.7 ± 26.4 | 17.1 ± 32.3 |
| Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, mm/h, mean ± SD | 14 ± 15.5 | 14 ± 15.4 | 14 ± 15.6 |
| C-reactive protein, mg/L, mean ± SD | 0.7 ± 1.3 | 0.8 ± 1.1 | 0.7 ± 1.5 |
| Rheumatoid factor positivity, N (%) | 71 (13%) | 48 (13.6%) | 23 (11.8%) |
| Anti-citrullinated protein antibody positivity, N (%) | 25 (4.7%) | 16 (4.7%) | 9 (4.7%) |