June 1, 1989American Journal of Epidemiology
High Incidence and Prevalence of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Pima Indians
Why the study?
What is the incidence and prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in Pima and Papago Indians?
Population
Pima and Papago Indians of Arizona aged 20 years or more
Design
Cohort
Follow-up
1967-1986
Authors
Discussion
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Member takes
Implication
Documents elevated RA rates in Pima/Papago Indians; leaves open ancestry versus environment as drivers of disparities.
Key Points
- To estimate the longitudinal incidence and prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in an American Indian population comprising Pima and Papago individuals.
- Longitudinal epidemiologic study evaluating subjects aged 20 years or older through biennial clinical, serologic, and radiologic examinations between 1967 and 1986.
- Rheumatoid arthritis was diagnosed using criteria for active and inactive disease, with all rates age-adjusted to the 1980 US population.
- The age-adjusted prevalence of classical and definite rheumatoid arthritis in 1984 was 5.3% overall (3.23% in males and 6.95% in females).
- Over the study period, 70 incident cases occurred, yielding an age-adjusted incidence rate of 42.2 cases per 10,000 person-years (29.7 in males and 51.8 in females).
- The incidence rate was 10.3-fold higher than in Rochester, Minnesota (4.1 per 10,000 person-years) and 5.7-fold higher than in Japan (7.4 per 10,000 person-years), with rates increasing with age and showing no secular trend.
Structured PICO
What is the incidence and prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in Pima and Papago Indians?
P
Population
Pima and Papago Indians of Arizona aged 20 years or more
O
Outcome
Incidence and prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis
The incidence and prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in Pima and Papago Indians are significantly higher than in other populations, highlighting non-uniform occurrence of the disease.
Cite This Study
Puente et al. (1989) studied this question.