In a recent study published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, a leading European journal, as well as Clinical Rheumatology, doctors from the Dubai Bone & Joint Center (DBAJ) showed that patients in the UAE had a lag time of nearly one year in detection of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and another 9 months before they were started on the correct treatment.
"There are many reasons for rheumatoid arthritis delay in diagnosis in the UAE, and all of them need to be addressed to deliver better quality of life for sufferers in the Emirates," stated Dr. Humeira Badsha, Specialist Rheumatologist at DBAJ and lead author of the study.
"A key factor is an insufficient numbers of rheumatologists practicing in the UAE. The World Health Organization recommends 1 rheumatologist for every 100,000 members of the population. Here in the UAE, there is a definite shortage of trained rheumatologists." The study was conducted on 100 patients with an average age of 42.2 The UAE's diverse background was evident when studying the racial background of each patient. Of those examined, 38p percent were of Arab descent, 36 percent were of Indian descent and 26 percent were of Caucasian or other nationality. With the wide range of ethnic backgrounds taken into consideration, the study showed that there are no racial differences in disease characteristics with a majority of patients having very active disease, delayed diagnosis and not appropriately treated with disease modifying drugs. (WAM)
"There are many reasons for rheumatoid arthritis delay in diagnosis in the UAE, and all of them need to be addressed to deliver better quality of life for sufferers in the Emirates," stated Dr. Humeira Badsha, Specialist Rheumatologist at DBAJ and lead author of the study.
"A key factor is an insufficient numbers of rheumatologists practicing in the UAE. The World Health Organization recommends 1 rheumatologist for every 100,000 members of the population. Here in the UAE, there is a definite shortage of trained rheumatologists." The study was conducted on 100 patients with an average age of 42.2 The UAE's diverse background was evident when studying the racial background of each patient. Of those examined, 38p percent were of Arab descent, 36 percent were of Indian descent and 26 percent were of Caucasian or other nationality. With the wide range of ethnic backgrounds taken into consideration, the study showed that there are no racial differences in disease characteristics with a majority of patients having very active disease, delayed diagnosis and not appropriately treated with disease modifying drugs. (WAM)
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