Changes in the incidence of inflammatory arthritides in Northern Savo during COVID-19 pandemia
Background We collected every 10 years data on the incidences of chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases and their risk factors in Northern Savo population for health care planning.
Methods All adult patients (age ≥ 16 years), who were registered in the Northern Savo area, and had an undiagnosed and untreated inflammatory joint disease from 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2021 were evaluated. The diagnosis was established after the first visit according to clinical, laboratory, and imaging data available for or ordered on initial visit at rheumatological outpatient clinics or in rheumatologists’ private practices. Data were compared with data from year 2010 in the same area.
Results The number of patients with all arthritides decreased in 2020 by 33.3% and in 2021 by 45.5 % compared to year 2010. The incidence rate ratios declined in total, but especially in reactive and crystal arthritis, between studies from both years 2010 and 2020 and 2010 and 2021. Also patients in psoriatic and undifferentiated arthritis decreased between studies from years 2010 and 2021, although no delays in admittance to outpatient clinics were recorded.
Conclusions The number of incident cases of all arthritides decreased in 2020 compared with the data from year 2010 and a decrease continued in pandemia year 2021. Although mild arthritis may disappear with symptomatic therapy, declining numbers of incident cases raises concern that many individuals with spondyloarthritis did not seek medical services.
Oili Kaipiainen-Seppänen, Aulikki Kononoff, Johanna Huhtakangas, Hannu Kautiainen, Elina Savolainen, Leena Arstila, Julia Barantseva, Tuomas Rannio, Helena Niinisalo, Antti Puolitaival, Simo Kariniemi, Kati Soininen, Minni Oksaranta, Pia Elfving
