Rheumatology Clinic, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
Institute of Epidemiology, Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Corfu, Greece.
Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2022 Sep;18(9):923-931. doi: 10.1080/1744666X.2022.2106970. Epub 2022 Jul 29.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic disease characterized by articular involvement and extra-articular manifestations. The incidence and prevalence of the disease vary across populations, and there is an ongoing debate on whether a change of RA occurrence over time exists or is due to methodological issues and other biases. Moreover, the disease's onset is related to an interaction of genetic and environmental factors that influence its expression.
This review explores the latest knowledge on RA epidemiology and the possible risk factors associated with its presentation to identify potential warning signs that may in the future help disease management.
Current epidemiological evidence suggests a significant impact of smoking, sex hormones, and lifestyle status in RA occurrence. However, the association between these variables has not yet been thoroughly studied. Still, their effect must be interpreted as they may present subsequently integral indicators for a more rational approach of the disease.
类风湿关节炎（RA）是一种以关节受累和关节外表现为特征的慢性系统性疾病。该疾病的发病率和患病率在不同人群中存在差异，目前仍在争论是否存在 RA 随时间发生变化，或者这是由于方法学问题和其他偏倚所致。此外，疾病的发作与遗传和环境因素的相互作用有关，这些因素影响着疾病的表达。
本篇综述探讨了 RA 流行病学的最新知识和与疾病表现相关的可能危险因素，以确定未来可能有助于疾病管理的潜在预警信号。
目前的流行病学证据表明，吸烟、性激素和生活方式状态对 RA 的发生有重大影响。然而，这些变量之间的关联尚未得到彻底研究。尽管如此，它们的影响必须被解释为，它们可能随后成为疾病更合理治疗方法的综合指标。
