AI Article Synopsis

  • Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3/Machado-Joseph disease (SCA3/MJD) has a significant diagnostic delay, averaging 5 years, despite being recognized in Brazil for many years.
  • The study analyzed patient records from a public university hospital over 18 years and found that index cases experienced longer delays compared to other family members, with older patients facing longer diagnostic waits.
  • The research indicates no improvement in diagnostic timelines based on education or proximity to medical facilities, suggesting a need for better public awareness and communication regarding the disease.

Article Abstract

Background: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3/Machado-Joseph disease (SCA3/MJD) is a rare disease with diagnosis offered by the Unified Health System in Brazil. Our aim was to investigate the diagnostic delay in an interval of 23 years in a public university hospital, and some potentially determining factors.

Methods: A retrospective review of the medical records of subjects identified at our institution between 1999 and 2017 was carried out, including residents of Rio Grande do Sul. The diagnostic delay was equivalent to the difference between age at onset of symptoms and age at molecular diagnosis. Calendar years, educational level, sex, distance between the household and the clinics, age and being the index case were studied as modifying factors.

Results: SCA3/MJD had a median diagnostic delay of 5 years. Index cases had delays of 6 versus 4 years (p<0.001) for subsequent family members. Delay correlated with age (rho=0.346, p<0.001), but not with age at disease onset (rho=0.005, p=0.91). No change was observed with the level of education of individuals or with the distance between household and hospital from 1999 to 2017.

Discussion: The diagnostic delay of SCA3/MJD is high in our region, where its occurrence has been reported for years. Failure to change the delay over the years suggests ineffective dissemination to the population, but a smaller lag among younger people can portray the effect of digital inclusion.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12311-022-01404-5DOI Listing

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