High Health Care Utilization Preceding Diagnosis With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Main finding · Overall health care utilizationResult — go to the resultIncidence rate ratio 2.55 95% CI 2.49–2.62Authors' conclusion
In the year before diagnosis, children with JIA have significantly higher health care utilization compared to healthy peers. There are differences in the patterns of utilization in patients with Medicaid versus commercial insurance.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with incident juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and matched healthy controls, Merative MarketScan administrative datasets (2014–2022)matched cohort
- Participants
- 10,021 vs 20,042
- Exposure
- Patients with incident JIA vs age- and sex-matched healthy controls
- JIAn = 10,021
- Controlsn = 20,042reference
- Outcome
- Health care utilization (outpatient, inpatient, ED/UC) in the year preceding diagnosis
- Follow-up
- Year before diagnosis
Methodological detailsage- and sex-matched controls, administrative claims data (Merative MarketScan), negative binomial or hurdle models
- Age- and sex-matched controls
- Administrative claims data (Merative MarketScan)
- Negative binomial or hurdle models
Main finding
Overall health care utilization
Incidence rate ratio
2.55
95% CI 2.49–2.62
P < 0.001
JIAvs Controls
IRR 2.55 (95% CI 2.49–2.62); P < 0.001
As reported in the abstract
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | OR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| ED/UC care, Medicaidvs commercial insurance (subgroup) | 2.05 (1.89–2.23) | |
| Orthopedic care, Medicaidvs commercial insurance (subgroup) | 0.27 (0.24–0.34) | |
| 0.20.5125Odds ratio (log scale) |
- Most common visits before diagnosis in JIA · year before diagnosis
- 91.8% · general practitioner · ED/UC 47.0% · orthopedist 22.9%
Utilisation over time before diagnosis
- Health care utilization increased as the index date approached
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
High Health Care Utilization Preceding Diagnosis With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). Published 22 April 2026. doi:10.
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