TY - JOUR T1 - Initial Diagnosis of Lumbar Disc Herniation Is Associated with a Delay in Diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 1996 LP - 1999 DO - 10.3899/jrheum.120106 VL - 39 IS - 10 AU - VEDAT GERDAN AU - SERVET AKAR AU - DILEK SOLMAZ AU - YAVUZ PEHLIVAN AU - AHMET MESUT ONAT AU - BUNYAMIN KISACIK AU - MEHMET SAYARLIOGLU AU - CIGDEM ERHAN AU - MEHMET ENGIN TEZCAN AU - MEHMET AKIF OZTURK AU - FATOS ONEN AU - NURULLAH AKKOC Y1 - 2012/10/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/39/10/1996.abstract N2 - Objective. There is often a considerable delay in diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). In this multicenter study, we analyzed the delay and possible associated factors, including an initial diagnosis of lumbar disc herniation (LDH), which we frequently encounter in daily clinical practice. Methods. The study included 393 consecutive patients [258 men (65.6%), mean age 39.3 ± 10.8 yrs] with AS according to the modified New York criteria. Face-to-face interviews were done using a structured questionnaire, addressing all the potentially relevant factors. Results. The mean diagnostic delay was 8.1 ± 8.6 years in the whole study population. The shortest delay was observed when rheumatologists were the first physicians consulted (2.9 ± 5.3 yrs). An initial diagnosis of LDH was reported by 33% of the patients. The diagnostic delays in patients with an initial diagnosis of LDH and those without were 9.1 ± 8.5 years and 6.2 ± 7.4 years, respectively (p = 0.002). In a regression model, predictive factors for delay in diagnosis were age at onset of spondyloarthritic symptoms, back pain, education level, prior diagnosis of LDH, and surgical history for LDH. Conclusion. These results indicate the need to increase awareness of the concept of axial spondyloarthritis among specialists who might be the first physicians consulted by patients with AS for their back pain. There is also a need to develop strategies for early referral of such patients to rheumatologists. ER -