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Prevalence and Impact of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a progressive, debilitating disease that inflicts serious physical, emotional and economic consequences.1
RA is a chronic, heterogeneous disease of uncertain aetiology.2
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RA affects more than 2.9 million Europeans.3 |
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The clinical course of RA fluctuates and prognosis is unpredictable.4 |
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70% of patients with recent onset of RA show evidence of radiographic changes within 3 years.5 |
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50% of RA patients are work-disabled within 10 years of disease onset.6 |
In the long term, the major outcomes of RA include joint deformity, joint malalignment, the need for joint replacement surgery, functional disability, work disability and often premature death.7 Thus, RA not only represents a significant burden for the patient, it is also associated with significant direct treatment costs, high indirect costs (including loss of productivity) and intangible costs that may result from factors such as pain and fatigue.7 Despite the high direct costs, the indirect costs are considered to be of greater significance due to the extensive morbidity associated with disease.8
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RA is associated with significant costs
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| Find out more about the importance of early RA treatment in limiting the adverse consequences of the disease. |
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References
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