Description

Presented by Angelo Papachristos

Axial Spondyloarthritis is an often-overlooked cause of chronic back pain. The EIDA Project raises awareness and educates non-rheumatologists about clinical features that may suggest the presence of axial Spondyloarthritis. The goal of this program is to shorten the diagnostic delay, which is currently 5-8 years on average, by increasing awareness and knowledge of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) among non-rheumatology healthcare professionals who are caring for patients with chronic back pain to promote the timely referral of patients. Our ultimate goal is to improve long-term outcomes in axSpA by reducing the time from symptom onset to diagnosis and to provide patients with the benefits of early effective therapy. 

Learning Objectives 

1. Develop an awareness of axSpA as treatable cause of back pain,
2. Recognize an inflammatory back pain pattern as a typical presentation of axSpA, 
3. Identify other common clinical features of axSpA that occur outside the spine, 
4. Gain knowledge of basic principles of diagnosis and treatment of axSpA as applied by rheumatologists.
5. Understand appropriate testing for a patient with chronic back pain suspected of axSpA and apply criteria for referral to rheumatology