%0 Journal Article %A Estibaliz Loza %A Lydia Abásolo %A Daniel Clemente %A Ruth López-González %A Luis Rodríguez %A Cristina Vadillo %A Benjamin Fernández-Gutiérrez %A Pilar Macarrón %A Juan A Jover %A César Hernández-García %T Variability in the use of orthopedic surgery in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Spain. %D 2007 %J The Journal of Rheumatology %P 1485-1490 %V 34 %N 7 %X OBJECTIVE: To analyze sociodemographic and clinic-associated factors of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) undergoing any orthopedic surgery (AOS) and total joint replacement (TJR) in Spain. METHODS: A retrospective medical record review was performed in a probabilistic sample of 1379 RA patients from 46 centers distributed in 16 of 19 regions in Spain. Sociodemographic and clinical features, use of drugs, and arthritis-related joint surgeries were recorded following a standardized protocol. Gross domestic product (GDP) data were obtained from the National Statistical Index. RESULTS: Of 1379 patients, a total of 358 (26%) underwent one or more joint surgeries, and 194 (14%) had a TJR. The median time to first orthopedic procedure was 12.5 years from presentation of RA and the estimated rate was 5.6 surgeries per 100 person-years. The rate of AOS was increased in women, patients with RA with extraarticular complications, with longterm RA (> 10 yrs), with functional grade III-IV, and with persistent inflammatory disease. The risk factors for undergoing a TJR were longterm RA, functional grade III-IV, and extraarticular complications. Patients from regions with higher GDP per capita were more likely to undergo a procedure. CONCLUSION: Clinical variables reflecting disease activity and severity are predictors of orthopedic surgery, but geographic and socioeconomic variables were also independently associated with the rate of orthopedic surgery. %U https://www.jrheum.org/content/jrheum/34/7/1485.full.pdf