PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - DANIEL E. FURST
AU  - ANCILLA W. FERNANDES
AU  - ŞERBAN R. IORGA
AU  - WARREN GRETH
AU  - TIM BANCROFT
TI  - Epidemiology of Systemic Sclerosis in a Large US Managed Care Population
AID  - 10.3899/jrheum.111106
DP  - 2012 Apr 01
TA  - The Journal of Rheumatology
PG  - 784--786
VI  - 39
IP  - 4
4099  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/39/4/784.short
4100  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/39/4/784.full
SO  - J Rheumatol2012 Apr 01; 39
AB  - Objective. To estimate the incidence and prevalence of systemic sclerosis (SSc) in a large US managed care organization (MCO) database. Methods. Subjects with claims-based evidence of SSc (ICD-9-CM code 710.1x) were identified from a health plan database. Incidence and prevalence for the period 2003–2008 were calculated. Results. The overall age- and sex-adjusted incidence rate (2003–2008) for SSc was 5.6 cases per 100,000 person-years. The annual prevalence of SSc ranged from 13.5 in 2003 to 18.4 (per 100,000) in 2008. Conclusion. This analysis suggests a higher incidence and lower prevalence of SSc in this MCO than those previously reported for the United States.