Cost of Wastage in Logistic Management: Thermolabile Drugs in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Brazil

Abstract

tic codes from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), L405 (M07.0 -M07.3, M09.0) for PA and M45 (M08.1) for AS, during the five-year period 2009 to 2014. Results: We found a total of 6,596 patients with AS (57.4% male) and 1,860 patients with psoriatic arthritis (47.7% male) with a higher prevalence in 50 years or older in both cases. Prevalence would be 13.8 per 100,000 for AS (11.6 in females; 16.1 in males) and 3.9 per 100,000 for PA (4.0 in females; 3.8 in males), both much below international records. Most patients (75% for AS and 78% for PA) were in the Contributive regime, which covers the richest half of the country's population. In terms of geographical distribution, prevalence was higher in the Andean region, with probable underdiagnosis and underreporting in Orinoquian and Amazonic regions. ConClusions: The diagnosis of spondyloarthropaties is growing in our country, but figures are still low. This study raises a number of areas of action for the future, ranging from increased education of physicians in primary care and increased supply of specialists in rheumatology, to greater public access to specialized medicine subsidized.