Epidemiology of adult rheumatoid arthritis
Introduction
The study of the epidemiological profile of a specific disease includes its frequency, severity, and distribution among different populations and human groups (descriptive epidemiology), as well as the influence of genetic and environmental factors on the occurrence and variation of the disease (analytical epidemiology risk factors). The study of the association of the disease with some personal characteristics, such as age, gender, racial or social group, and others is in the limit between descriptive and analytical epidemiology. In this review, we consider those factors as potential risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Section snippets
Descriptive epidemiology
RA is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the synovium, leading to joint damage and bone destruction and causes severe disability and increases mortality [1]. Several incidence and prevalence studies of RA have been reported during the last decades, suggesting a considerable variation of the disease occurrence among different populations. However, the studies published on RA epidemiology present methodological differences. These differences include the methods of case identification and
Risk factors
A risk factor is any factor (genetic, environmental, or personal) that increases the risk of developing a disease. There is a general consensus that RA is a multifactorial disease, resulting from the interaction of both genetic and environmental factors, which contribute to its occurrence and expression.
Several environmental factors have been suspected and studied as possibly related to an increased risk of RA, as well as to a worse or improved prognosis of the disease. However, the impact of
Conclusions
Significant variations of RA incidence and prevalence have been observed among different populations. It seems that there is a relative decrease in the disease occurrence during the last decades. There is a general consensus that RA is a multifactorial disease, resulting from the interaction of both genetic and environmental factors, which contribute to its occurrence and expression (Fig. 1). Several risk factors for RA have been suggested. They include genetic susceptibility, sex, age,
References (40)
- et al.
Epidemiology of rheumatoid arthritis in Finland
Semin. Arthritis Rheum.
(1998) - et al.
Shared epitopes and rheumatoid arthritis: disease associations in Greece and meta-analysis of Mediterranean European populations
Semin. Arthritis Rheum.
(2002) - et al.
Cytokine pathways and joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis
N. Engl. J. Med.
(2001) - et al.
Rheumatoid arthritis and other synovial disorders: classification and epidemiology
- et al.
Epidemiology of the rheumatic diseases
(2001) - et al.
Incidence and prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in the county of Troms, northern Norway
J. Rheumatol.
(2001) - et al.
The epidemiology of rheumatoid arthritis in Rochester, Minnesota, 1955–1985
Arthritis Rheum.
(1999) - et al.
The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in Sweden
Scand. J. Rheumatol.
(1999) - et al.
The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in the United Kingdom: new estimates for a new century
Rheumatology
(2002) - et al.
Prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in Dublin, Ireland: a population based survey
Ir. J. Med. Sci.
(1999)
Epidemiology of adult rheumatoid arthritis in northwest Greece 1987–1995
J. Rheumatol.
Prevalence of rheumatic diseases in Greece: a cross-sectional population based epidemiological study. The ESORDIG Study
J. Rheumatol.
The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in the general population of Spain
Rheumatology
Prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in Italy: the Chiavari Study
Ann. Rheum. Dis.
Prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthropathy in Brittany, France. Societe de Rheumatologie de l'Ouest
J. Rheumatol.
Prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Br. J. Rheumatol.
Prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in Tucuman, Argentina
J. Rheumatol.
The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in the Sultanate of Oman
Br. J. Rheumatol.
The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in an urban population of Izmir-Turkey
Clin. Exp. Rheumatol.
The epidemiology of rheumatoid arthritis in Indonesia
Br. J. Rheumatol.
Cited by (697)
A microfluidic platform for detection and quantification of two biomarkers for rheumatoid arthritis
2023, Sensors and Actuators B: ChemicalThe multifaceted role of mast cells in joint inflammation and arthritis
2023, Osteoarthritis and CartilageCost-consequence analysis of tocilizumab versus adalimumab and etanercept among rheumatoid arthritis patients in Saudi Arabia: a single-center study
2024, Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation