Differences in longitudinal disease and treatment characteristics of patients with rheumatoid arthritis replying and not replying to a postal questionnaire. Experience from a biologics register in southern Sweden.
OBJECTIVE
Studies on patients not answering postal questionnaires are scarce. We assessed the demographics and longitudinal disease and treatment characteristics of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a Swedish biologics register who replied and who did not reply to a postal questionnaire.


METHODS
In the South Swedish Arthritis Treatment Group register, we have detailed disease severity characteristics at baseline and at followup for rheumatology patients taking biologic drugs. In 2005 a questionnaire on smoking, comorbidities, education, and ethnicity was sent to 1234 RA patients who had started their first biologic drug.


RESULTS
In total, 989 subjects (80%) answered the questionnaire. The 245 (20%) who did not answer generally had more severe RA [higher Disease Activity Score, worse Health Assessment Questionnaire score, higher visual analog scale scores for general health and pain at baseline and at followup, and stopped the drug treatment more frequently (72% vs 53%; p=0.0001)]. There were no statistically significant differences in gender and disease duration between those who replied and those who did not reply, but in general the patients who did not reply were younger.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with RA in a Swedish biologics register not replying to a postal questionnaire had more severe RA and stopped biological drug treatment more frequently. Thus a detailed analysis of prospectively collected data can clarify selection bias introduced by subjects who do not answer a postal questionnaire, which may influence the validity and interpretation of results from postal survey studies.
Söderlin
Maria K
MK
Spenshult Rheumatology Hospital, SE-313 92, Oskarström, Sweden. maria.soderlin@spenshult.se
Jacobsson
Lennart T H
LT
Petersson
Ingemar F
IF
Englund
Martin
M
Saxne
Tore
T
Geborek
Pierre
P
D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D001688:Biological Products / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003710:Demography; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012042:Registries; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden
D001688:Biological Products