Baseline demographics based on grade at consultation (%).
| Characteristics | Overall, n = 696 | Urgent, n = 210 | Non-urgent, n = 486 | EIA, n = 95 | Non-EIA, n = 601 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs | < 20 | 34 (4.9) | 12 (5.7) | 22 (4.5) | 6 (6.3) | 28 (4.8) |
| 20–40 | 137 (19.7) | 42 (20) | 95 (19.5) | 20 (21.1) | 117 (19.4) | |
| 41–60 | 310 (44.5) | 96 (45.7) | 214 (44) | 42 (44.2) | 268 (44.6) | |
| > 60 | 215 (30.9) | 60 (28.6) | 155 (32) | 27 (28.4) | 188 (31.2) | |
| Sex | Female | 475 (68.2) | 129 (61.4) | 346 (71.2) | 50 (52.6) | 425 (70.7) |
| Male | 221 (31.8) | 81 (38.6) | 140 (28.8) | 45 (47.4) | 176 (29.3) | |
| Duration, mos | > 12 | 423 (60.8) | 102 (48.6) | 321 (66) | 17 (17.9) | 406 (67.6) |
| < 12 | 273 (39.2) | 108 (51.4) | 165 (34) | 78 (82.1) | 195 (32.4) | |
| Morning stiffness, min | > 60 | 313 (45.0) | 106 (50.5) | 207 (42.6) | 55 (57.9) | 258 (42.9) |
| < 60 | 383 (55.0) | 104 (49.5) | 279 (57.4) | 40 (42.1) | 343 (57.1) | |
| Prior rheumatologic assessment | Yes | 224 (32.2) | 76 (36.2) | 148 (30.5) | 8 (8.4) | 216 (35.9) |
| No | 449 (64.5) | 128 (61.0) | 321 (66.0) | 85 (89.5) | 364 (60.6) | |
| Not sure | 23 (3.3) | 6 (2.9) | 17 (3.5) | 2 (2.1) | 21 (3.5) | |
| Patient reports swollen joints | Yes | 439 (63.1) | 160 (76.2) | 279 (57.4) | 82 (86.3) | 357 (59.4) |
| No | 171(24.6) | 28 (13.3) | 143 (29.4) | 4 (4.2) | 167 (27.8) | |
| Not sure | 86 (12.4) | 22 (10.5) | 64 (13.2) | 9 (9.5) | 77 (12.8) | |
| Referring physician reports swollen joints | Yes | 341 (49.0) | 138 (65.7) | 203 (41.8) | 73 (76.8) | 268 (44.6) |
| No | 255 (36.6) | 42 (20.0) | 213 (43.8) | 10 (10.5) | 245 (40.8) | |
| Not sure | 100 (14.4) | 30 (14.3) | 70 (14.4) | 12 (12.6) | 88 (14.6) | |
| Difficulty with simple ADL | Yes | 435 (62.5) | 150 (71.4) | 285 (58.6) | 72 (75.8) | 363 (60.4) |
| No | 261 (37.5) | 60 (28.6) | 201 (41.4) | 23 (24.2) | 238 (39.6) | |
| Missed or stopped working | Yes | 279 (40.1) | 94 (44.8) | 185 (38.1) | 39 (41.1) | 240 (39.9) |
| No | 417 (59.9) | 116 (55.2) | 301 (61.9) | 56 (58.9) | 361 (60.1) | |
| Personal or family history of psoriasis | Yes | 123 (17.7) | 47 (22.4) | 76 (15.6) | 21 (22.1) | 102 (17.0) |
| No | 573 (82.3) | 163 (77.6) | 410 (84.4) | 74 (77.9) | 499 (83.0) | |
| Strong family history of RA | Yes | 262 (37.6) | 68 (32.4) | 194 (39.9) | 32 (33.7) | 230 (38.3) |
| No | 434 (62.4) | 142 (67.6) | 292 (60.1) | 63 (66.3) | 371 (61.7) | |
| ESR | Elevated | 192 (27.6) | 90 (42.9) | 102 (21.0) | 47 (49.5) | 145 (24.1) |
| Normal or no blood work | 504 (72.4) | 120 (57.1) | 384 (79.0) | 48 (50.5) | 456 (75.9) | |
| CRP | Elevated | 138 (19.8) | 73 (34.8) | 65 (13.4) | 40 (42.1) | 98 (16.3) |
| Normal or no blood work | 551 (79.2) | 137 (65.2) | 421 (86.6) | 55 (57.9) | 503 (83.7) | |
| RF | Positive | 156 (22.4) | 81 (38.6) | 75 (15.4) | 39 (41.1) | 117 (19.5) |
| Negative or no blood work | 540 (77.6) | 129 (61.4) | 411 (84.6) | 56 (58.9) | 484 (80.5) | |
| ANA | Positive | 168 (24.1) | 65 (31.0) | 103 (21.2) | 29 (30.5) | 139 (23.1) |
| Negative or no blood work | 528 (75.9) | 145 (69.0) | 383 (78.8) | 66 (69.5) | 462 (76.9) |
ADL: activities of daily life; RA: rheumatoid arthritis; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP: C-reactive protein; RF: rheumatoid factor; ANA: antinuclear antibody.