PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Lisa K.  Stamp
AU  - Janine Haslett
AU  - Peter Chapman
AU  - John O’Donnell
AU  - Rafi Raja
AU  - Alastair Rothwell
AU  - Christopher Frampton
AU  - Gary Hooper
TI  - Rates of Joint Replacement Surgery in New Zealand, 1999–2015: A Comparison of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis
AID  - 10.3899/jrheum.170551
DP  - 2017 Oct 15
TA  - The Journal of Rheumatology
PG  - jrheum.170551
4099  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2017/10/09/jrheum.170551.short
4100  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2017/10/09/jrheum.170551.full
AB  - Objective To determine rates of joint replacement for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) and to examine the characteristics of those receiving elbow replacements. Methods Data were extracted from the New Zealand Joint Registry from 1999 to 2015 and annual rates calculated. Results Rates of joint replacement increased over time for OA but not RA. Elbow replacement was the only procedure performed more commonly in RA. Conclusion There has been a substantial increase in joint replacement for OA in New Zealand. For RA, where access to biologics has been limited to those with erosions, joint replacement rates have not declined, with the exception of elbow replacements.