Elizabeth Nettleton, Kylie Carlson, Michael Putman
{"title":"The emerging risk of overdiagnosis in rheumatoid arthritis and polymyalgia rheumatica.","authors":"Elizabeth Nettleton, Kylie Carlson, Michael Putman","doi":"10.1016/S2665-9913(24)00227-3","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Overdiagnosis occurs when patients are diagnosed with a disease that would otherwise never have affected the quality or duration of their lives. This often happens unintentionally through well-meaning screening programmes that aim to detect diseases during so-called subclinical stages. Recently, it has been suggested that patients with polymyalgia rheumatica should be screened for giant cell arteritis to identify those at higher risk of relapse or vascular complications. Screening for interstitial lung disease for patients with rheumatoid arthritis has also been recommended to identify patients who could benefit from pulmonary interventions. These potential benefits must be weighed against foreseeable harms. Such harms include the uncovering of incidental findings that necessitate additional medical follow-up, the financial costs associated with screening initiatives, the risk of overtreatment through increased immunosuppression in patients who might not have otherwise required it, and the psychosocial burden of a new diagnosis. Randomised clinical trials and prospective cohort studies of screening interventions should be conducted to establish the risks and benefits and identify patients most likely to benefit from them. This Viewpoint covers risks that overdiagnosis presents to the field of rheumatology, with focus on rheumatoid arthritis and polymyalgia rheumatica.</p>","PeriodicalId":48540,"journal":{"name":"Lancet Rheumatology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":15.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Lancet Rheumatology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/S2665-9913(24)00227-3","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"RHEUMATOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Overdiagnosis occurs when patients are diagnosed with a disease that would otherwise never have affected the quality or duration of their lives. This often happens unintentionally through well-meaning screening programmes that aim to detect diseases during so-called subclinical stages. Recently, it has been suggested that patients with polymyalgia rheumatica should be screened for giant cell arteritis to identify those at higher risk of relapse or vascular complications. Screening for interstitial lung disease for patients with rheumatoid arthritis has also been recommended to identify patients who could benefit from pulmonary interventions. These potential benefits must be weighed against foreseeable harms. Such harms include the uncovering of incidental findings that necessitate additional medical follow-up, the financial costs associated with screening initiatives, the risk of overtreatment through increased immunosuppression in patients who might not have otherwise required it, and the psychosocial burden of a new diagnosis. Randomised clinical trials and prospective cohort studies of screening interventions should be conducted to establish the risks and benefits and identify patients most likely to benefit from them. This Viewpoint covers risks that overdiagnosis presents to the field of rheumatology, with focus on rheumatoid arthritis and polymyalgia rheumatica.
期刊介绍:
The Lancet Rheumatology, an independent journal, is dedicated to publishing content relevant to rheumatology specialists worldwide. It focuses on studies that advance clinical practice, challenge existing norms, and advocate for changes in health policy. The journal covers clinical research, particularly clinical trials, expert reviews, and thought-provoking commentary on the diagnosis, classification, management, and prevention of rheumatic diseases, including arthritis, musculoskeletal disorders, connective tissue diseases, and immune system disorders. Additionally, it publishes high-quality translational studies supported by robust clinical data, prioritizing those that identify potential new therapeutic targets, advance precision medicine efforts, or directly contribute to future clinical trials.
With its strong clinical orientation, The Lancet Rheumatology serves as an independent voice for the rheumatology community, advocating strongly for the enhancement of patients' lives affected by rheumatic diseases worldwide.