Clinical features of inflammatory arthritis in daily practice-China's perspective

This study aimed to analyze and compare the proportion of patients with different types of inflammatory arthritis and investigate the clinical characteristics, including symptoms and signs, medication choices, and disease activity, in the daily clinical practice of China.

Patients with inflammatory arthritis were recruited from 16 Grade-A tertiary hospitals between August 2021 and April 2022. The medical profiles, encompassing sociodemographic characteristics, clinical and laboratory date, were collected.

This study included 2,693 patients with arthritis, with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) accounting for the highest proportion (50.50%). Significant differences were observed in terms of age, gender, body mass index (BMI), disease duration, smoking and family history among patients with different types of inflammatory arthritis. Physical activity and cold exposure were identified as the main predisposing factors for RA, psoriatic arthritis (PsA), osteoarthritis (OA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS), while alcohol consumption was the most common inducing factor for gout. Hypertension and hyperlipidemia were the primary concomitant diseases in RA, OA, and AS, whereas hyperuricemia and hypertension were mainly associated with gout, psoriasis and diabetes were the most common comorbidities in PsA. Peripheral joints were predominantly affected in PsA, RA, OA, and gout, while axial joints were mainly affected in AS. Methotrexate and leflunomide were the main therapeutic drugs for RA, while biologics were commonly prescribed for PsA and AS. OA and gout patients mainly utilized nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Patients with different types of inflammatory arthritis exhibited varying predisposing factors, joint inflammation, concomitant diseases, and medication choices, highlighting the importance of individualized approaches in the clinic. Key Points • 2,693 patients classified and diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis were recruited in this study from 16 Grade-A tertiary hospitals in China between August 2021 and April 2022. • This study analyzed and compared the proportion of patients with different types of arthritis in routine clinical practice in China. • Joint inflammation, comorbidities, and medication choices were assessed among patients with the most common types of arthritis in this study. • This study also provided some epidemiologically relevant information about inflammatory arthritis patients in China.