Extended reports
Increase in age at onset of rheumatoid arthritis in Japan over a
30 year period
a Department
of Rheumatology, Shichikawa Arthritis Research Centre, Hisai, Mie,
Japan , b Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shiga University
of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan, c Department of
Orthopaedic Surgery, Osaka University Medical School, Osaka,
Japan, d Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Osaka-Minami National Hospital, Kawachi-Nagano, Japan
Correspondence to: Dr T Imanaka, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga 520-21, Japan.
Accepted for publication 5 February 1997
OBJECTIVES
To determine changes in demographic
variables and severity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that may have
occurred during the 30 year period from 1960 to 1990 in Japan.
METHODSUsing records of patients diagnosed with
RA from two hospitals, demographic and clinical features at initial
visit were compared between two groups, one from 1960 to 1965 (group I)
and the other from 1985 to 1990 (group II).
RESULTSMean age at the time of onset of the
disease increased significantly from 37.5 years in group I to 46.9 in
group II. The peak age at onset of RA shifted from the third to the
fifth decade between group I and group II. There was no obvious change
in morbidity as determined by seropositivity, rheumatoid nodules, and
assessments of hip involvement.
CONCLUSIONThe age at onset of RA was
delayed during a recent 30 year period in Japan. This increase in age
at onset might result from environmental changes that occurred in Japan
or may reflect a birth cohort phenomenon. Improvement of severity of
disease was not found in this study.
© 1997 by Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
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