title: Delayed referral of female patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze whether sex differences in referral exist in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
  
  
  METHODS
  At the Department of Rheumatology of the Leiden University Medical Center, a special early arthritis clinic (EAC) was established. General practitioners (GPs) were encouraged to refer patients with joint complaints to the EAC. Subsequently, the diagnosis RA was made by a rheumatologist.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this report, 142 women and 82 men were included. The delays in patient's first encounter with a GP for both sexes were comparable. However, a significant difference in the GP's delay in referring female patients with RA to the EAC in comparison with male patients was observed (median of 93 days vs 58 days; p = 0.008).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This report determined GP referral delay of female patients to a rheumatologist. GPs should be made aware that early detection and early referral of patients with RA are crucial for early treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands. l.r.lard@lumc.nl
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Lard
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Huizinga
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hazes
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Vliet Vlieland
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000628:therapy*; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012219:Rheumatology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors; D016387:Women's Health