Abstract
Background: In July 2010, the Akita Orthopedic Group on Rheumatoid Arthritis (AORA) was founded by unifying hospital-employed and private practice orthopedists involved in treating rheumatoid arthritis in Akita Prefecture, Japan. Akita Prefecture has a land area of about 11.6 thousand square kilometers. As of February 2015, the estimate of the population is around 1.03 million. The combined service area of members covers almost the entire prefecture. The data obtained from the AORA registry reflect actual clinical practice. The data represent long-term follow-up because very few local residents leave or enter the prefecture, and patients without means of long-distance travel are also included.
Objective: We report the results of collection and analysis of AORA patient data.
Subjects and methods: The subjects were patients examined since 2010 by 32 doctors at 28 AORA-affiliated institutions.
Results: As of 2014, 1987 patients (mean age, 66.4 years) have been registered, 80% of whom were female. The mean disease duration was 12 years. Methotrexate had been administered to 56% of the patients, and prednisolone to 44%. The cumulative number of administered biopharmaceuticals was 619. The number of registered patients increased annually by approximately 10%. In 2012, a survey of disease activity was also started. The 28-joint Disease Activity Score using the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28ESR) decreased from 3.20±1.27 (in 2012) to 3.04±1.22 (in 2014). Low disease activity was observed in 51% of the patients.
Conclusion: The AORA registry included 1987 patients in 2014. Because AORA-affiliated institutions are located near patient residences, treatment retention rates are high. To further advance rheumatoid arthritis treatment in the future, long-term follow-up of data obtained from actual clinical practice in community healthcare appears to be important.
