Changes in the Prevalence of Rheumatic Diseases in Shantou, China, in the Past Three Decades: A COPCORD Study

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify changes in the prevalence of rheumatic diseases in Shantou, China, in the past 3 decades and validate whether stair-climbing is a risk factor for knee pain and knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The World Health Organization-International League Against Rheumatism Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Diseases (COPCORD) protocol was implemented. In all, 2337 adults living in buildings without elevators and 1719 adults living in buildings with elevators were surveyed. The prevalence of rheumatic pain at any site and in the knee was 15.7% and 10.2%, respectively; both types of pain had a significantly higher incidence in residents of buildings without elevators than was reported by people who lived in buildings with elevators (14.9% vs. 10.6% and 11.32% vs. 8.82%, respectively) (both P < 0.0001). The prevalence of rheumatic pain in the neck, lumbar spine, shoulder, elbow, and foot was 5.6%, 4.5%, 3.1%, 1.4%, and 1.8%, respectively; these findings were similar to the data from the 1987 rural survey, but were somewhat lower than data reported in the urban and suburban surveys of the 1990s, with the exception of neck and lumbar pain. The prevalence of KOA, gout, and fibromyalgia was 7.10%, 1.08%, and 0.07%, respectively, and their prevalence increased significantly compared with those in previous studies from the 20th century. There were no significant differences in the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (0.35%) or ankylosing spondylitis (AS) (0.31%) compared to that reported in prior surveys. The prevalence of KOA was higher in for residents of buildings without elevators than that in those who had access to elevators (16–64 years, 5.89% vs. 3.95%, P = 0.004; 16->85 years, 7.64% vs. 6.26%, P = 0.162). The prevalence of RA and AS remained stable, whereas that of KOA, gout, and fibromyalgia has increased significantly in Shantou, China, during the past 3 decades. Stair-climbing might be an important risk factor for knee pain and KOA.

Tofacitinib with conventional synthetic disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs in Chinese patients with rheumatoid arthritis: Patient‐reported outcomes from a Phase 3 randomized controlled trial

“…Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by systemic inflammation, persistent synovitis and joint destruction. The prevalence of RA in mainland China is estimated to range from 0.2% to 0.9% and is comparable with worldwide prevalence estimates (0.24%) …”

“…Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by systemic inflammation, persistent synovitis and joint destruction. The prevalence of RA in mainland China is estimated to range from 0.2% to 0.9% [1][2][3] and is comparable with worldwide prevalence estimates (0.24%). 4 RA represents a significant health and socioeconomic burden, and affects all domains of health-related quality of life (HRQoL).…”

Prevalence of knee osteoarthritis in a suburban, Srilankan, adult female population: a population‐based study

“…The World Health Organization‐International League Against Rheumatism COPCORD protocol was implemented in a study in China to clarify changes in the prevalence of rheumatic diseases in Shantou, China, in the past three decades . In all, 4056 adults were surveyed.…”

Prevalence of ankylosing spondylitis in a Chinese population: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The 11 included cross-sectional studies reported the AS prevalence rates and sample sizes, which were combined for an effect size analysis [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. The heterogeneity test revealed a P < 0.1 and I 2 > 50%, therefore, a random effects model was adopted for the meta-analysis.…”

“…To ensure the reliability of the data, this study was not included in the subgroup analysis of the prevalence of AS by sex. Thus, ten studies were ultimately involved in the analysis [25] 2006.07 English Cross-sectional study New York criteria (1984) 9 Dong et al [26] 2006.04 Chinese Cross-sectional study New York criteria (1984) 9 Wang et al [27] 2013.03 Chinese Cross-sectional study New York criteria (1984) 6 Wang et al [28] 2011.08 Chinese Cross-sectional study New York criteria (1984) 8 Community of sex differences in the prevalence of AS [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]28]. A random effects model was used for meta-analysis because of heterogeneity, the results showed that the prevalence of AS in males was 0.42% (95% CI 0.31%, 0.52%).…”