Variability in the prescription of non-biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs for the treatment of spondyloarthritis in Spain.

Objective: To describe the variability in the prescription of non-biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (nbDMARDs) for the treatment of spondyloarthritis (SpA) in Spain and to explore which factors relating to the disease, patient, physician, and/or center contribute to these variations. Methods: A retrospective medical record review was performed using a probabilistic sample of 1168 patients with SpA from 45 centers distributed in 15/19 regions in Spain. The sociodemographic and clinical features and the use of drugs were recorded following a standardized protocol. Logistic regression, with nbDMARDs prescriptions as the dependent variable, was used for bivariable analysis. A multilevel logistic regression model was used to study variability. Results: The probability of receiving an nbDMARD was higher in female patients [OR = 1.548; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1208-1.984], in those with elevated C-reactive protein (OR = 1.039; 95% CI: 1.012-1.066) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (OR = 1.012; 95% CI: 1.003-1.021), in those with a higher number of affected peripheral joints (OR = 12.921; 95% CI: 2.911-57347), and in patients with extra-articular manifestations like dactylitis (OR = 2.997; 95% CI: 1.868-4.809), psoriasis (OR = 2.601; 95% CI: 1.870-3.617), and enthesitis (OR = 1.717; 95% CI: 1.224-2.410). There was a marked variability in the prescription of nbDMARDs for SpA patients, depending on the center (143%; variance 0.549; standard error 0.161; median odds ratio 2366; p < 0.001). After adjusting for patient and center variables, this variability fell to 3.8%. Conclusion: A number of factors affecting variability in clinical practice, and which are independent of disease characteristics, are associated with the probability of SPA patients receiving nbDMARDs in Spain. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.