Rheumatoid arthritis affected more than 18 million, young people more susceptible finds study
This common autoimmune condition is now finding its presence felt more than ever. Rheumatoid arthritis cases have seen more than 13 per cent increase since 1990, finds researchers.
As per the study, more than 18 million people worldwide were affected by this autoimmune disease. Experts also observed that more young people are being diagnosed with the disease.
What is Rheumatoid arthritis?
This is a chronic condition that causes pain, inflammation and swelling in individuals. Apart from this, it can also cause damage to other parts of the body like skin, eyes, lungs, heart and blood vessels.
It is an autoimmune disease, which means the immune system attacks its own body's tissues by mistake.
The study, published in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, found that population growth impacted the disease's burden in most countries, including India, Pakistan and Spain, while ageing impacted the most in Thailand, China and Poland.
The study also projected that the regions with a low-middle sociodemographic index could see an increase in burden by 2040 due to ageing and population growth, while the burden in regions high on the index could decrease.
"While previous Global Burden of Disease (GBD) studies have provided important insights, they have largely focused on high-level descriptions and visualisations at global and national scales, failing to capture local disparities or the dynamic interactions between socioeconomic development and disease trends," said principal investigator Queran Lin from Imperial College London.
Symptoms:
According to Mayo clinic, symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis may include:
- Painful, warm, swollen joints.
- Joint stiffness that most often is worse in the mornings and after periods of rest. It can last for 45 minutes or longer.
- Tiredness, fever and not wanting to eat.
Risk factors of rheumatoid arthritis include the sex, age, family history, smoking, gum infection and weight factors of the individual.
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