Burden of rheumatoid arthritis and forecasted prevalence to 2050

The prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis has improved in the past two decades since the discovery and early use of effective biological and targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs that suppress immune pathways that drive articular inflammation. 1 Burmester GR Pope JE Novel treatment strategies in rheumatoid arthritis. Lancet. 2017; 389: 2338-2348 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (625) Google Scholar Although the aetiology of rheumatoid arthritis is not fully understood, it is likely to be due to an interplay between various genetic and environmental factors. 2 Koller-Smith L Mehdi AM March L Tooth L Mishra GD Thomas R Rheumatoid arthritis is a preventable disease: 11 ways to reduce your patients' risk. Intern Med J. 2022; 52: 711-716 Crossref PubMed Scopus (10) Google Scholar One would therefore expect variations in its prevalence and outcomes across different countries and with time. In The Lancet Rheumatology, using data sourced from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD), 3 Safiri S Kolahi AA Hoy D et al. Global, regional and national burden of rheumatoid arthritis 1990–2017: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease study 2017. Ann Rheum Dis. 2019; 78: 1463-1471 Crossref PubMed Scopus (365) Google Scholar the GBD 2021 Rheumatoid Arthritis Collaborators 4 GBD 2021 Rheumatoid Arthritis CollaboratorsGlobal, regional, and national burden of rheumatoid arthritis, 1990–2020, and projections to 2050: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Lancet Rheumatol. 2023; 5: 594-610 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF Google Scholar report on changes in the prevalence and global burden of rheumatoid arthritis based on years of life lost and years lived with disability between 1990 and 2020. During this time, the global prevalence rate of rheumatoid arthritis increased by 14·1% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 12·7–15·4). However, the global aged-standardised rheumatoid arthritis death rate declined by 23·8% (17·5–29·3). Using logistic regression analysis, the authors also forecasted an 80·2% (63·3–92·1) increase in the number of rheumatoid arthritis cases between 2020 and 2050, by which time 31·7 million (25·8–39·0) individuals will be living with rheumatoid arthritis worldwide. Smoking, the only risk factor analysed for rheumatoid arthritis, was found to account for 7·1% (3·6–10·3) of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) attributable to rheumatoid arthritis in 2020. Global, regional, and national burden of rheumatoid arthritis, 1990–2020, and projections to 2050: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021Rheumatoid arthritis mortality has decreased globally over the past three decades. Global age-standardised prevalence rate and YLDs have increased over the same period, and the number of cases is projected to continue to increase to the year 2050. Improved access to early diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis globally is required to reduce the future burden of the disease. Full-Text PDF Open Access