Rheumatoid arthritis

Main article: Rheumatic diseases

Spread of the disease

According to the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, for 2019, the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis is up to 700 thousand people, 40% of them become disabled over the next 10 years, the life expectancy of a patient with RA is 10-15 years less than the average in the population.

According to some estimates, in the Russian Federation, rheumatoid arthritis can suffer from 800 thousand to 1 million people. According to official statistics, in 2019 319,730 patients were registered (274.3 per 100 thousand), which is 3% higher than the number of registered patients in 2018 - 309,135 patients (264.8 per 100 thousand)

As of August 2019, 13,456 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were registered in St. Petersburg alone, according to experts, real disease indicators are several times higher than official data.

As of 2021, rheumatoid arthritis is 3 times more common in women than in men. The peak incidence occurs in the able-bodied socially active age (35-55 years).

Arthritis is believed to affect adults, but "Renoir disease" affects children. According to official statistics of the Ministry of Health, available as of 2021, there are about 50,000 children with rheumatic diseases in the Russian Federation. Severe, often lifelong disability occurs during the first 5 years of illness in 50% of children with juvenile arthritis. A third of children get rheumatic diseases between the ages of 9 months and 1.5 years.

Main symptoms

Major symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis:

• morning stiffness,
• tight mobility in small joints of the hands and feet, knees, shoulders, lasting more than 30 minutes,
• swelling of joints, increase of their volume, size, tenderness in lateral compression (as in handshake) of hands and feet.

Joints affected by arthritis

Possible complications

The severity of the course of rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, is due not only to the damage to the joints and their impaired function, but also to the systemic manifestations of the chronic inflammatory process, an increased risk of developing comorbidities, which are mainly the cause of death of patients.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a risk factor for the development of severe chronic conditions, which can result in myocardial infarction, stroke, thrombosis of large vessels, etc. Rheumatic diseases include over 80 diseases and syndromes, but the highest medical and social burden is associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

According to data for 2021, 8-10 years after the onset of the disease, 37-60% of patients become disabled. Total mortality from various causes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis is 2.5 times higher than in the general population of the corresponding age.

Treatment

Patients with rheumatic diseases need lifelong treatment. Up to 30% of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis need to use genetically engineered biological drugs (GIBP) due to the inefficiency of other treatments.

Arthritis Day

Since 1996, thanks to the initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO), October 12 has marked World Arthritis Day. The purpose of this day is to draw the attention of society to the problems of people with rheumatic diseases.