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. 2024 Jan 12:2024:6639079.
doi: 10.1155/2024/6639079. eCollection 2024.

Demographic, Clinical Profile of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients and Their Association with Disease Severity in Ghana

Tonnies Abeku Buckman  1   2 , Samuel Asamoah Sakyi  2 , Kwame Yeboah-Mensah  3 , Maxwell Hubert Antwi  4 , Isaac Darban  4 , Lawrence Owusu-Brenya  2 , Joseph Yorke  5 , Andy Opoku Boateng  2 , Ebenezer Senu  2 , Albert Dompreh  6 , Akwasi Minnah Addei  7 , Richard Boateng  6 , Ortis Yankey  8 , Samuel Tandoh  9
Affiliations

Demographic, Clinical Profile of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients and Their Association with Disease Severity in Ghana

Tonnies Abeku Buckman et al. Int J Rheumatol. .

Abstract

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the frequent chronic, systemic, inflammatory autoimmune disorders with an estimated global prevalence of 1%. RA leads to joint destruction and disability if left untreated. Ghana has seen very few studies on RA, and little is known about the disease's severity and related variables. This study sought to characterize the clinical presentation and determine disease severity and associated risk factors with disease severity among RA patients in a tertiary hospital in Ghana.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2020 and August 2021. This study included 56 consecutively consenting RA patients from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital orthopaedic unit. Diagnosis of RA was based on the updated American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) 2022 rheumatoid arthritis classification criteria by a rheumatologist. A study questionnaire was used to gather participant demographics and clinical features, and results from the laboratory were taken from the patients' charts and medical records. The patients' disease severity was evaluated based on the rheumatoid arthritis disease activity score, which is based on a 28-joint count (DAS28), and their functioning was evaluated using the modified health assessment questionnaire.

Results: The participants' mean age was 51.25 ± 13.22 years. Out of the total participants, 46 were females, and 10 were males (female-to-male ratio 4.6 : 1). Moreover, 37.50% had arthritis of the hand; 5.30% had severe disease, and 94.60% were not severe. A majority (76.80%) were on methotrexate medication. The most frequently involved joints were the knee (42.90%), wrist (32.10%), and elbow (12.50%). There was no statistically significant association with disease severity and a functional status score of >0.5 (cOR: 10.60, 95% CI (0.52-217.30); p = 0.124). In addition, marital status (p = 0.04), disease duration (p = 0.04), family complaints (p = 0.02), and ESR (p = 0.03) were significantly associated with disease severity.

Conclusion: RA is predominant among elder populations and females. Disease duration, family complaints, and ESR are associated with disease severity. The findings of this study call for interventions towards ensuring early diagnosis of RA among high-risk populations to enhance good management practices.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors state that they do not have any conflicting interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Symptoms of pain and the signs of swelling. (a) Proportion of participants who experienced or did not experience pain at the joints. (b) Proportion of participants who had or did not have a swollen joint.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Disease activity score based on 28 joint counts and ESR (DAS28-ESR) among study participants.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Rheumatoid arthritis by joint involvement.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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