Health-care use by rheumatoid arthritis patients compared with non-arthritic subjects.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the use of health-care by rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and non-arthritic subjects (NA) and to look for factors determining their patterns of health-care use.


METHODS
A multicentre cohort of 223 RA and 446 NA subjects matched for age, gender, period of data collection and residence were questioned about their use of health-care services. Patterns of health-care use were identified by principal components analysis. Factors determining the use of health-care services were assessed by multiple linear and logistic regression analysis.


RESULTS
The proportions of RA subjects who declared having had at least one contact with the health-care system in the previous 12 months and in the previous 4 weeks were higher than those for NA subjects for all health and social professionals except dentists and homeopaths. Types of health-care use explored were hospital, prescribed, general ambulatory and specialized ambulatory care. Factors determining health-care use were disease status, administrative area, employment status and age.


CONCLUSIONS
RA subjects use health-care services more widely than NA subjects. Variation in recourse behaviour is related to differences within administrative areas.
Girard
F
F
EA 3444 and Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nancy, France.
Guillemin
F
F
Novella
J L
JL
Valckenaere
I
I
Krzanowska
K
K
Vitry
F
F
Vittecoq
O
O
Eschard
J P
JP
Blanchard
F
F
Le Loët
X
X
D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000628:therapy*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006304:Health Status; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D018501:Antirheumatic Agents