Experts warn rheumatoid arthritis may increase disabilities, deaths

Medical experts have raised alarm that the increasing prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis could stress medical services that are already struggling with a high burden of acute infectious illnesses and may lead to rise in disabilities and mortalities in Nigeria.

They made the call during a virtual media roundtable hosted by Pfizer Biopharmaceutical on the ‘Prevalence and Social Burden of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Nigeria’ as well as enlightening the public about management of the disease to prevent progression.

A rheumatologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Dr. Uyiekpan Ima-Edomwonyi, said the disease, which affects the small joints of the hand, wrist and feet before affecting larger joints, if left untreated, could cause disability. He said the disability could lead to loss of career and source of income, a problem in low-income settings.

For a subset of the population, jobs in Africa involve a level of manual labour and the resource-starved African states can afford only limited or no welfare support for disabled individuals, he added.

According to him, healthcare professionals need to identify the disease early and commence appropriate therapy as soon as possible. Dr. Olaosebikan Hakeem, another rheumatologist at Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), said treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is ideally done as soon as possible when the patient develops symptoms.

This is important, he added, as the disease process can cause progressive damage to joints with resultant loss of function, which, in many patients, will mean that they are unable to fulfil work obligations or cope with activities at home.
   
The Country Medical Director, Pfizer East and West Africa, Dr. Kodjo Soroh, said rheumatoid arthritis remains one of the most common Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases (RMDs) in the Africa.

Soroh noted the Afya project as a patient assistance programme aimed at improving access to life-saving medications and boosting cancer care and autoimmune disease management.

In partnership with IQVIA, the platform is helping to reduce therapy costs for eligible patients, as rheumatologists identify patients for enrolment into the programme, he noted.