Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common inflammatory polyarthropathy. According to the previously published data its prevalence was 0.3%–1.5% and incidence – about 0.01%–0.02%^1,2 with some variations due to genetic and ethnical factors.³ During last decades significant progress has been achieved in early diagnostic and treatment of RA. Nevertheless a tendency for the increase of both incidence and prevalence of RA was reported lately by some national registers.⁴

Objectives We estimated incidence, prevalence and hospitalisation rates for RA in Minsk (the Republic of Belarus) for a 10 year period.

Methods Minsk is a typical urban area which is considered to be representative for the urban population of the whole country. The data on the new onset RA and the first visit for RA in a corresponding year were collected from all rheumatologic services of Minsk for the period 2005–2015. Only patients older than 18 years old with the diagnosis of RA according to the ICD-10 (M05-M06) were included. Demographic data on the population of the Republic of Belarus were obtained from the annual Statistical bulletins of the National Statistical Committee. Hospitalisation rates were calculated on the base of statistical reports on discharges for the corresponding years.

Results Population size for adults in Minsk in 2005 was 1467390 with 135 new onset RA cases revealed and corresponding RA incidence was 9.2 (CI_95%8.6–9.8) per 100 000 adults. Population size in 2010 increased to 1529470, 131 new onset RA cases were revealed and RA incidence was 8.6 (CI_95%8.4–8.7) per 100 000 adults. Population size in 2015 also increased at the same rate and amounted to 1598120, 206 new onset RA cases were revealed and corresponding RA incidence increased to 12.9 (CI_95%12.7–13.1) per 100 000 adults (p<0.001).

There were registered 2745 first visits for RA in 2005 with corresponding RA prevalence 187.1 (CI_95%186.4–187.7) per 100 000 adults. There were registered 3373 first visits for ^{RA in 2010} and 4315 visits in 2015, RA prevalence rates were 220.5 (CI_95%219.9–221.2) and 270.0 (CI_95%269.3–270.7) per 100 000 adults, correspondingly. These data suggest a steady increase of RA prevalence for the last 10 years (p<0.001).

There were 7147 hospitalizations in Minsk for RA for the period 2010–2015. Hospitalisation rates for RA increased from 75.4 (CI_95%73.8–77.1) to 79.2 4 (CI_95%77.5–80.9) per 100 000 adults (p<0.001) with the same provision of the population with the specialised rheumatologic beds – 15.7 (CI_95%14.9–16.5) and 15.0 (CI_95%14.3–15.8) per 100 000 adults (NS) in 2010 and 2015, correspondingly, while hospitalisation rates among RA patients decreased from 34.2% to 29.3% (p<0.001).

Conclusions We revealed the significant increase (1.4 times) in incidence and prevalence of RA in adults in Minsk (Belarus) for the period 2005–2015. Hospitalisation rates for RA in the population had the same trend for the study period.

References [1] Harris, E.D. Rheumatoid arthritis. W.B. Saunders Company 1997;433p.

[2] Simmons D.P.M. et al. The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in the United Kingdom: new estimates for a new century//Rheumatology. 2002;41(7):793–800.

[3] Rheumatology./Ed. by J.H. Klippel and P.A. Dieppe. Mosby, 1998;Vol.1.P.5–23.

[4] Zinchuk I.Yu. Amirdzhanova V.N. Social burden of rheumatoid arthritis. Rheum. Science and Practice. 2014;52(3):331–335.

Disclosure of Interest None declared