Prevalence of Rheumatoid Arthritis among Patient at a Tertiary Care Teaching Institute, Gujarat

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an idiopathic disease characterized by severe joint pain, inflammation of muscles and joints, and many co-morbidities like CVS and lymphadenitis, which impairs normal social life. Method: Out of 365 patients with joint and muscular inflammation, 31 had a positive RA factor. RA factor antibodies tests were tested by the RE-latex slide agglutination test by ASPEN Diagnostics. The samples were centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 2 minutes. Serum was then separated by using a micropipette. Results: Out of 365 suspected patients, 31 (8.49%) had a positive RA factor. It was more prevalent in adults aged between 41-60 years i.e., 24 (12.7%), followed by those above 60 years, which was 5 (5.5%). Conclusion: Although RA is an idiopathic disease, the present prevalence study of RA factors is highly prevalent in those above 40 years of age. This study demands further genetic, nutritional, and environmental studies because a decrease in all physiological factors begins after 40 years only.