Arthritis sufferers 'need quicker diagnosis'
People suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) need to be diagnosed much quicker so that treatment for their condition can begin sooner, it has been claimed.
Lynn Love, director of operations at the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS), said that there needs to be more understanding about RA so that people know hot to spot the symptoms and can go see their GP.
Her comments come after the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE's) independent appraisal committee asked Roche, the manufacturer of RA medication tocilizumab, for further additional information on its product.
NICE said the request has been made so it can establish in what circumstances using tocilizumab might be a good use of NHS funds for patients who have not responded to alternative forms of treatment.
Ms Love added that educating healthcare professionals about RA and the available treatments would also be a positive step.
"If GPs knew more about RA, then they would more likely refer sufferers very rapidly to a rheumatology department - which is what's needed to get the diagnosis and effective treatment," she said.
The NICE report also requested cost-effectiveness analysis from Roche on its use in people whose RA has responded inadequately to previous tumour necrosis factor-a inhibitors and who are intolerant to, or unsuitable for, treatment with rituximab.
Ms Love said that if people got diagnosed and were given effective treatment quicker, they would stand a chance of stopping the "terrible destruction" that can occur when RA worsens.
"Apart from treatment and drugs of which there are many that are effective, the main things we would say is control of their weight and to maintain exercise of the joints which might seem a strange thing when your joints are so painful," she concluded.
Posted by Stephen Tate
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