The aim of this study was to assess the epidemiological data on the rheumatoid arthritis in Iaşi, Romania and in North East Romania. These data are useful for informing the policy makers, the public and above all the practitioners regarding such a disabilitating disease. The epidemiology plays an important role in understanding the etiology of the rheumatoid arthritis because there are notable differences in incidence between various populations.
This retrospective study followed 517 patients in 2009 and 499 patients in 2010 at the Rheumatology Clinic of the Rehabilitation Hospital, Iaşi, Romania, based on the following parameters: sex, age, rheumatoid factor, anti-CCP antibodies, the Steinbrocker functional classification, the stage of the disease.
The highest rates of rheumatoid arthritis were recorded in the age group of 69-60 years, followed by the age group of 59-50 years. Most of the patients were in the third stage of the disease, with limited functional capacity.
The clinical and evolutive data of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis at the Rheumatology Clinic of the Rehabilitation Hospital, Iaşi, Romania in the time interval 2009-2010 correspond to the European data in this field.