Pattern of Rheumatic Diseases in a New Rheumatology Clinic in Southwestern Nigeria: A Descriptive Study

Rheumatic diseases (RMDs) are among the leading health burdens and causes of disability globally. Interestingly, they are on the rise due to the increasingly ageing population. Inflammatory RMDs are not left behind in the rise, especially in Africa, where they were thought to be rare as there has been increasing reportage of these diseases in recent years. Hence, this study aims to determine the pattern of RMDs presenting to a rheumatology clinic in southwestern Nigeria.

In this retrospective study, the medical records of the patients who were diagnosed with RMDs who presented to the rheumatology clinic of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC) between February 2017 and April 2024 were reviewed and the data about their age, sex, and diagnoses were collated between May and June 2024. The diagnosis of RMDs was made based on various classification criteria and critical clinical evaluation by a rheumatologist. Non-rheumatic diseases were excluded from the study. The data were analysed using the IBM SPSS version 23.0 software to determine the characteristics of the various RMDs.

About 416 patients were seen during the study period. Three hundred and eighteen were females, while 98 were males with a F: M ratio of 3.2:1. The mean age of the patients was 48.62 years. Inflammatory RMDs were the most common (59.4%). Systemic lupus erythematosus was the most common RMD (21.2%) followed by osteoarthritis (19.7%). Rheumatoid arthritis was the most common inflammatory arthritis (11.8%). Trigger finger was the most common soft tissue RMD (4.8%) followed by rotator cuff tendinitis (3.6%).

This study showed an evolving trend toward inflammatory RMDs contrary to earlier African studies.