Global study highlights ongoing global burden of rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis has been ranked as the 42nd highest contributor to global disability, according to analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease 2010 study.

A team led by the

of Sydney in Australia has analysed the findings of the worldwide health research project to gain a better understanding of the global burden of rheumatoid arthritis and how this compares with other conditions.

They carried out a series of systematic reviews to gather age and sex-specific epidemiological data for rheumatoid arthritis prevalence, incidence and mortality. Particular attention was paid to the number of years of life lived with disability (YLDs), as well as years of life lost due to premature mortality, to estimate the overall burden in disability-adjusted life years, or DALYs.

Data published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases revealed that the global prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis was 0.24 per cent, with no discernible change from 1990 to 2010. However, DALYs increased from 3.3 million to 4.8 million during the two-decade period, a rise that was attributed to a growth in population and an increase in ageing.

In placing 42nd out of the 291 conditions studied in terms of their contribution to global disability, rheumatoid arthritis was ranked just below malaria and one place above iodine deficiency.

The authors concluded: "Rheumatoid arthritis continues to cause modest global disability, with severe consequences in the individuals affected."

A spokeswoman for Arthritis Research UK commented: "Our pioneering research, which led to anti-TNF therapy for rheumatoid arthritis, spawned an extensive range of biological drugs which have transformed the lives of millions of people worldwide.

"However, these drugs - however effective - are not a cure and don't work in 30 per cent of people with severe disease, so we need to keep up our efforts to find even better, more targeted treatment." - See more at: www.arthritisresearchuk.org/news/general-news/2014/february/global-study-highlights-ongoing-global-burden-of-rheumatoid-arthritis.aspx