title: The excess burden of rheumatoid arthritis in Ontario, Canada.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to estimate the excess burden of RA in Ontario, the largest province in Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  The records of all adult Ontarians who participated in the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) cycle 1.1 (2000/2001) and provided consent to data linkage were linked to the Ontario Health Insurance Program (OHIP)  physician claims database and the Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) In-Patient (i.e. hospitalisation) and Day-Procedure databases. RA individuals (n=233) were identified using CCHS 1.1 and the physician claims database. A control group matched by age, gender and rural/urban status was created with three controls for one case (n=699). Socio-demographic variables, medical characteristics, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and one-year physician services, hospitalizations and day procedures costs were determined for the RA and non-RA groups. Regression techniques were used to identify predictors of medical characteristics, utility and cost data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the population was 59 years and 76% were female. Compared to the matched control group, individuals with RA were statistically more likely to be obese, less educated, physically inactive and have a lower income. RA individuals also reported a statistically higher number of comorbidities and a lower HRQoL. Although no statistical differences were observed between the RA and non-RA groups for the costs associated with hospitalisations, the physician ($1,015 vs. $624, respectively) and day procedure ($102 vs. $51, respectively) costs were statistically higher among RA individuals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that the human and economic burden of RA in Ontario is considerable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada. tarride@mcmaster.ca
authors.forename: Jean-Eric
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Tarride
authors.forename: Mahbubul
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haq
authors.forename: Hamid R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Nakhai-Pour
authors.forename: Daria J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: O'Reilly
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dolovich
authors.forename: Gord
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Blackhouse
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Goeree
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000191:economics; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006306:Health Surveys; D017721:Hospital Costs; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009819:Office Visits / Q000191:economics; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome