Assessment of the incidence and prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in the District of Elbasan for the period 2011-2021

By, MD Armida HIDA

Abstract

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune and chronic disease. Worldwide, the annual incidence of RA is 1%. Epidemiological data for Albania are similar to other countries, still some districts might be more affected. There are no previous studies in the population indicating the prevalence or incidence of rheumatoid arthritis in the Elbasan district.
Objective: This study aims to estimate the incidence and prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in Elbasan district during a decade (2011-2021) according to gender, place of residence and age group and to evaluate the trend of ambulatory visits for RA. Methodology: The population in this retrospective study are all patients hospitalized at the Elbasan Regional Hospital with the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis during the period January 2011 – December 2021. The study also evaluated the correlation of different genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in this district. Results: During 2011 – 2021, a total of 2554 cases diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis were identified, out of them 877 (34.3%) cases were new or incident cases and 1677 (65.7%) chronic or existing cases or prevalent cases. Incident cases ranged from 30.2/100,000 to 58.3/100,000 while prevalent cases ranged from 29.7/100,000 to 201.9/100,000 inhabitants. The incidence of AR according to years in women ranges from 2 to 4 times higher compared to men (p<0.01). The highest incidence is in the age group of 45-54 years, 149.3/10000 and in the age group of 55-64 years, 148/10000, with a significant difference with the other age groups. In addition, the incidence in the rural area is higher than in the urban area, with a significant difference between them. Conclusions: This study provides a broad overview of the incidence and prevalence of RA in the district of Elbasan over a relatively long-time span.
Key words: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Incidence, Prevalence, Elbasan

https://doi.org/10.58944/hbom7065