Potential missed diagnoses of Crohn’s disease in tertiary care: impact on drug utilization and healthcare facilities use

Abstract

Background A missed diagnosis of Crohn’s disease (CD) can delay treatment initiation with consequences on disease course. Aims To measure the possible impact of missed diagnoses on drug utilization and access to healthcare facilities in a real-world cohort of CD patients. Methods This retrospective observational study has been conducted on the regional administrative databases of Tuscany (Italy). We included patients with a first record of CD diagnosis between 06/11/2011 and 06/30/2016. Possible missed diagnosis (exposure) was defined by hospital presentation for gastrointestinal symptoms consistent with CD diagnosis that occurred in the 7–60 months preceding CD diagnosis. We compared exposed and non-exposed patients by assessing time-free from biologic drugs and from Emergency Department (ED) or hospital access. Hazard ratio (HR) was calculated using Cox models. Results Among 3342 CD patients, 584 (17.5%) had a possible missed diagnosis. A risk of being treated with biologic drugs [adjusted HR (aHR): 2.17, 95% CI: 1.75–2.71] and of access to ED or hospitalization (aHR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.44–1.75) was observed in patients with a possible missed diagnosis as compared to those without. Conclusion Tertiary care caregivers should be trained in the identification of early CD symptoms, to timely identify CD diagnosis and optimize pharmacological treatment and disease management.