THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Section snippets
Incidence
The most reliable estimates of incidence, prevalence, and mortality in RA are those derived from population-based studies. Several of these have been conducted in a variety of geographically and ethnically diverse populations. The Norfolk Arthritis Register is a prospective population-based database that was established to study new cases of inflammatory arthritis as they occurred in the community and to follow them prospectively to investigate the natural history of the condition. This data
RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
A number of risk factors have been suggested as important contributors to the development or progression of RA. Of these, the best studied have been genetics, infectious agents, oral contraceptive medications, smoking, and formal education.
SUMMARY
Studies of the descriptive epidemiology of RA indicate a population prevalence of 0.5% to 1% and a highly variable annual incidence (12–1200 per 100,000 population) depending on gender, race/ethnicity, and calendar year. Secular trends in RA incidence over time have been shown in several studies, supporting the hypothesis of a host-environment interaction. People with RA have a significantly increased risk of death compared with age- and sex-matched controls without RA from the same community.
Acknowledgments
The author thanks Deborah Fogarty for her assistance in the preparation of this manuscript and Michele Doran, MD, for her contribution to the section on estrogens as a risk factor associated with RA.
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Cited by (0)
Address reprint requests to Sherine E. Gabriel, MD, MSc, Mayo Foundation, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, [email protected]
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Departments of Health Sciences Research and Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota