Thousands of arthritis cases were missed during Covid, according to another study that exposed the pandemic’s knock-on effects.
Researchers said “there will likely be a significant burden on undiagnosed patients” because they saw no recovery in diagnoses after restrictions were lifted.
It means many patients who may have the disease have not been seen by their GP or assessed by a hospital specialist, and cases only jumped above pre-2020 levels as of April this year, they said.
Researchers said ‘there will likely be a significant burden on undiagnosed patients’ as they saw no recovery in diagnoses after restrictions were lifted (stock)
The study, by researchers from King’s College London and published in the journal The Lancet Rheumatology, evaluated care for 31,000 people with new arthritis diagnoses between April 2019 and March 2022 from a study population of more than 17 million people in England.
It found that the number of newly registered arthritis diagnoses fell by 20 percent in the year after the first Covid lockdown compared to the year before the pandemic.
Researchers used OpenSAFELY, a highly secure health data platform, to determine how arthritis diagnosis and treatment was affected by the pandemic.
According to the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, more than 400,000 adults in the UK have rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the lining of the joints, leading to inflammation, stiffness, pain and extreme fatigue.
If left untreated, the joint can lose shape and alignment and lead to permanent disability, meaning early diagnosis and treatment improves outcomes for patients.
Once diagnosed, patients can initiate highly effective treatments to control symptoms and prevent irreversible damage.
The study found that there appeared to be no more delays in starting treatment for patients diagnosed during the pandemic.
It also said time to hospital specialist assessment was shorter than before the pandemic, which could be due to fewer referrals to hospitals in general and greater use of virtual appointments during the pandemic.
The quality of care for people with rheumatoid arthritis is benchmarked annually by means of a national audit.
However, these audits were paused during the pandemic, making comparisons of care challenging.
Lead author Dr Mark Russell of King’s College London said: ‘This study highlights that there are likely to be people with joint pain and swelling who remain undiagnosed as a result of the pandemic.
“It’s important to talk to a doctor if you have these symptoms because early diagnosis and treatment of conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis significantly improves outcomes for patients and increases the likelihood of disease remission.”
‘An important message from this study is that it is possible to assess the quality of care for patients with long-term health problems using routinely collected health data.
‘This approach can be applied to many other chronic health conditions and used to provide feedback to NHS organizations and clinicians, with the aim of optimizing care for patients.’
dr. Benjamin Ellis, consultant rheumatologist and senior clinical advisor to charity Versus Arthritis said: “Inflammatory forms of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, are conditions in which the immune system attacks the joints and surrounding tissues.
“They cause swelling, aching pain, stiffness and joint damage, and can take away a person’s ability to live independently. People who develop inflammatory arthritis need urgent, intensive treatment from rheumatology specialists, as delays in diagnosis and treatment can lead to long-term pain and disability.
This study suggests that during the Covid-19 pandemic, approximately 2,700 people did not receive the diagnosis they needed to access treatment and support.
Worryingly, the numbers since the pandemic suggest that the NHS has yet to catch up and that people are suffering severe and unnecessary pain.
“The NHS needs to identify who these people are and focus on accelerating their treatment to avoid further unnecessary risk of harm.”