SAN DIEGO \u2014 The Spondyloarthritis Research and Treatment Network (SPARTAN) has created the first referral recommendations for axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).<\/p>\n
The\u00a0<\/span>draft recommendations<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>use a points scoring system, with the goal that at least 1 in 3 patients referred would be diagnosed with axSpA, an inflammatory arthritis that affects the central skeleton and shares a genetic overlap with skin\u00a0<\/span>psoriasis<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>inflammatory bowel disease<\/a>, and inflammatory eye disease.<\/p>\n Patients with axSpA can wait 10 years after symptom onset to be diagnosed with the condition. There are currently no guidelines to advise clinicians on when to refer to a rheumatologist, and with the rheumatology workforce shortage, “it is impossible for rheumatologists to evaluate the 20% of adults in the US who have chronic\u00a0<\/span>back pain<\/a>,” said\u00a0<\/span>Maureen Dubreuil, MD<\/a>, a rheumatologist at Boston University. She presented the work at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2023 Annual Meeting.<\/p>\n