article · PubMed
Rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases contribute significantly to illness, disability, and death globally, yet their patterns in sub-Saharan Africa remain poorly documented. A review of five thousand patient records from a private rheumatology clinic in Lagos, Nigeria, examined diagnoses made between January 2004 and May 2022. The patients had an average age of approximately 52 years, and women represented a larger share of cases than men. Degenerative joint diseases formed the majority of presentations, followed by inflammatory arthritis, soft tissue rheumatism, and connective tissue diseases. Female patients predominated in nearly all diagnostic categories, excluding crystal arthropathies and spondyloarthropathy. Conditions such as septic arthritis, metabolic bone diseases, and rare orphan diseases were documented in very small numbers. These findings confirm a broad distribution of rheumatological conditions, challenging previous notions that these illnesses are uncommon in African populations.
Rheumatic conditions were historically thought to be rare among African populations, leading to gaps in understanding and care. Documenting the actual types of joint and tissue disorders treated in Nigeria helps healthcare planners recognise that these illnesses are prevalent. Understanding which conditions occur most frequently provides evidence to support resource planning and highlights the necessity of wider community-level health studies.
The abstract does not indicate an application pathway or a commercialisation angle, as it presents clinical epidemiological data.
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) are important causes of morbidity, disability, and mortality worldwide, including in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the spectrum of RMDs in this region has not been well documented due to a lack of data. This is particularly true since many of the diseases observed were previously considered rare among Africans. This study aims to identify the various RMDs seen in a private rheumatology facility in Lagos, Nigeria. METHOD: The case records of the first 5,000 consecutive patients diagnosed with RMDs between January 2004 and May 2022 were reviewed. Diagnoses were made using standard rheumatology guidelines/consensus, societal guidelines, or clinical evaluation. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. RESULTS: The mean ± SD age of the 5,000 patients was 52.33 ± 16.15 years, with a female-to-male ratio of 1.7:1. The frequency of the common RMDs were degenerative joint diseases (54.16%), followed by inflammatory arthritis (14.52%), soft tissue rheumatism (13.28%) and connective tissue diseases (10.32%). Females were more commonly affected in all categories except crystal arthropathies and spondyloarthropathy. Septic arthritis, metabolic bone diseases, and orphan diseases were rarely seen, at 0.26%, 0.28%, and 0.82% of the total, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study, which includes arguably the largest cohort of RMD patients in sub-Saharan Africa, revealed a wide spectrum of RMDs, contrary to previous assumptions that RMDs are rare among Africans. As this is a hospital-based study, large population-based studies are recommended to determine the burden of RMDs in the community to guide policy implementation and resource allocation.
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