Healthcare utilization in general practice and hospitals preceding a diagnosis of systemic sclerosis: a nationwide registry study.

Objectives: Irreversible tissue damage is frequently present at the time of diagnosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc), which calls for earlier diagnosis. This study estimated healthcare utilization three years before the diagnosis of SSc.

Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study using data from Danish national registries. Incident patients diagnosed with SSc between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2018, were matched by age and gender with 10 references without SSc. The date of diagnosis was the index date. We estimated quarterly rates and adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) of healthcare utilization in the three years preceding the diagnosis for patients with SSc and their references.

Results: A total of 1,650 SSc patients (1,255 women and 395 men) and 16 500 non-SSc references were included. The mean age was 58 years (interquartile range 48-68). Three years before diagnosis, patients with SSc had more contacts with general practice (IRRwomen= 1.43 [95% CI: 1.33; 1.53], IRRmen= 1.47 [95% CI: 1.26; 1.71]) and hospitals (IRRwomen= 1.86 [95% CI: 1.62; 2.14], IRRmen= 2.70 [95% CI: 2.04; 3.58]) compared with their references. In the last three months before diagnosis, patients with SSc had significantly more contacts with general practice (IRRwomen= 2.30 [95% CI: 2.16; 2.44], IRRmen= 2.98 [95% CI: 2.64; 3.35]) and hospitals (IRRwomen= 5.62 [95% CI: 5.08; 6.20], IRRmen= 9.53 [95% CI: 7.81; 11.63]).

Conclusion: The higher use of healthcare services in general practice and hospitals in the three years before diagnosis suggests an opportunity to facilitate earlier diagnosis and treatment of SSc.