Objective To get known about the disease burden and quality of life (QOL) of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in China by conducting a systematic review. Methods The observational studies about the disease burden and QOL of RA in China were systematically searched in the following databases: CNKI, CBM, VIP, WanFang Data, MEDLINE/Pub Med, EMbase, and Science Citation Index. The retrieval time was from January 1st, 1990 to July 31st, 2010. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the literature was screened, the data were extracted, and the methodological quality of the included studies was assessed. The morbidity of RA was pooled by adopting generic inverse variance model, the meta-analyses on 8 dimensions of SF-36 life quality score (LQS) was conducted by suing RevMan5.0 software, the weighted mean difference (WMD) was regarded as the indicator of intervention effect, and the impact of studies’ quality on the results was assessed by sensitivity analysis. Results A total of 20 studies with medium quality in general were included. The morbidity of RA was 14.7/100 000. The disability adjusted of life years (DALYs) per capita were 4.92. If excluding the cost resulted from DALY, the overall economic cost was RMB 1 250.45 yuan per capita per year; While considering DALY, the cost was RMB 15 717.91 yuan per capita per year. The average cost of outpatient medications was RMB 8 018±17 238 yuan per capita per year. The weighted morbidity was 0.42% (95%CI 0.39% to 0.45%), and it was higher in female than male (Plt;0.05). There was no secular trend and difference between southern and northern (Pgt;0.05), but there were statistical significances in the WMD of 8 dimensions of SF-36 LQS. Sensitivity analyses revealed that the weighted pooled results were stable. Conclusion The epidemiological and economic burden of rheumatoid arthritis are heavier in China, which needs to be concerned by both government and society.
Objective To investigate the lung involvement in Chinese patients with systemic sclerosis ( SSc) and its functional impact. Methods 68 patients with SSc were enrolled in Scleroderma study of PUMCH ( Peking Union Medical College Hospital) . All the patients underwent high resolution computed tomography ( HRCT) , pulmonary function testing, 6-minute walk testing, and echocardiography. And 36 patients filled in the Saint George’s Respiratory Questionnaire ( SGRQ) for assessment of healthrelated quality of life. Results HRCT revealed interstitial lung disease ( ILD) in 52 ( 76. 5% ) patients, 20 out of them without respiratory symptoms. Reticular opacification, ground-glass opacity ( GGO) , traction bronchiectasis, and honeycomb were presented respectively in 80.8% , 73.1% , 59.6% , and 30.8% of patients with SSc-ILD. Fibrosis was the predominant HRCT finding, and pure GGO ( in the absence of reticulation or architectural distortion) was only present in 8 ( 15. 7% ) patients. 57 (83.8% ) patients presented with diffusion defect, with most of them having moderate to severe impairent. Reduced FVC or TLC presented in 20 ( 29.4% ) and 28 ( 41.2% ) of patients respectively. The significant correlation was observed between the DLCO and the extent of ILD on HRCT ( rs = -0.476, P =0.000) . DLCO showed significant correlations with all the four components of the SGRQ ( Plt;0.05) . Significant correlations were also observed among the SGRQ scores and SpO2 ( maximum desaturation) or Borg index. Stepwise multiple regression analysis confirmed that the DLCO, SpO2 , and Borg index contributed to the SGRQ. Conclusions Lung involvement in Chinese SSc patients is common and insidious. The HRCT features of SSc-ILD are predominant fibrosis plus GGO, indicating little reversibility. Thus HRCT should be performed routinely in newly diagnosed SSc patients for early screening of lung involvement. The lung function defect of SSc is characterized by reduced diffusing capacity, and DLCO show better correlations with HRCT abnormities or SGRQ than FVC or TLC. Thus DLCO is of great value for early detection or severity assessment of SSc-ILD. SGRQ can be used to examine the health related quality of life of SSc patients and may reflect severity of lung involvement.