Disparities in Time to Diagnosis of Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis

Objective Radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA) has a 7-year average diagnostic delay. Although the effects of sex or gender on time to diagnosis have been evaluated, the role of social determinants of health remains understudied. We assessed whether time from initial clinical documentation of r-axSpA symptoms to r-axSpA diagnosis (diagnostic delay) varies based on sex, race, ethnicity, and/or the presence of social needs.

Methods We studied patients with r-axSpA from a tertiary center from 2000 to 2022. The cohort was built with the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) network. For the primary analysis, we assessed the time from back pain and/or spinal pain to r-axSpA diagnosis and, secondarily, the time to r-axSpA from any other r-axSpA–related condition. To estimate differences in diagnostic delay, we employed an accelerated failure time parametric survival model.

Results We included 404 patients (mean age 49 years; 38.6% female), with 25.5% identifying as Black, 31.1% as other or unknown race, and 14.1% as Hispanic. Patients with a documented social need had a 21% increase in time from back pain to r-axSpA diagnosis (95% CI 0.93-1.56). In patients with any r-axSpA–related condition, time to diagnosis similarly increased by 21% (95% CI 0.92-1.57). Considering that there is an average time to diagnosis of 34 months, a social need increased time to diagnosis by 7 months.

Conclusion This study reveals a trend toward diagnostic delay in r-axSpA related to social need, sex, race, and ethnicity. Future studies should focus on referral strategies to enable prompt diagnosis and optimize care.