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Demographic, clinical, and serological features of Iraqi patients with rheumatoid arthritis: evaluation of 470 patients

Abdulsatar J. Mathkhor*, Abdulnasser H. Abdullah & Amer S. Khoudhairy

Aim: To evaluate the demographic, clinical, serological, and radiological characteristics of patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).

Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted on a population of patients with RA in the rheumatology outpatient clinic in the three main teaching hospitals in Basrah province between January 2018 and July 2020. Four hundred seventy patients with RA were recruited for this study. All patients were examined and diagnosed by a rheumatologist. Laboratory and radiology tests were also performed for all patients.

Results: Three hundred eighty-five (81.9%) women and 85 (18.1%) men with RA were enrolled for the study. The mean age, disease duration, and body mass index were 49.9 ± 11.9, 14.7 ± 6.8 years, and 27.1 ± 4.7, respectively. 322(68.5%) of the patients were have insidious disease onsets. There were 425 (96.2%) patients on Methotrexate (MTX), 247(52.6%), and 180(38.3%) patients on etanercept and prednisolone, respectively. The wrist was the most frequently involved joint, and the hip was the least frequently affected joint (100% and 5.1%), respectively. Anemia was the most extra-articular manifestation in our sample in a ratio of 18.7%. Anti-CCP and rheumatoid factor were present in 81.9% and 77%, respectively. Ulnar deviation was complicated 19.4% of the patients. Diabetes mellitus was the most abundant comorbidity presented in 43.6% of patients. One hundred sixty (34.0%) of the patients were completed their secondary education.

Conclusion: Clinical and serological features of rheumatoid arthritis in Basrah province were similar to those found in some national and international studies. We observed higher female preponderance.