Table 2 Frequency of diagnoses formulated by the general practitioner to justify referral (n = 357)
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 98 (27.5%) |
| Systemic lupus erythematosus | 55 (15.4%) |
| Undifferentiated arthralgia | 41 (11.5%) |
| Unspecified inflammatory disease | 23 (6.4%) |
| Osteoarthritis | 18 (5.0%) |
| Fibromyalgia | 16 (4.5%) |
| Psoriatic arthritis | 15 (4.2%) |
| Ankylosing spondylitis | 15 (4.2%) |
| Sjögren’s syndrome | 9 (2.5%) |
| Non-specific rheumatism | 9 (2.5%) |
| Gout | 6 (1.7%) |
| Systemic sclerosis | 5 (1.4%) |
| Laboratory abnormalities | 4 (1.1%) |
| Other diseases | 43 (12.0%) |