What are the spondyloarthropathies?
When Bernard Connor published the first anatomical description on the skeletal abnormalities found in established Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) in 1691 ( Fig. 1 ), he could hardly have anticipated the importance…
RHEUMATOLOGY
Epidemiology of large-vessel vasculidities
The systemic vasculitides are multisystem disorders characterised by the inflammation of blood vessels and tissue necrosis. Classified by the size of the vessels affected, the large vessel vasculitides include giant…
Epidemiology of systemic sclerosis
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystem auto-immune disease. The two main subtypes of SSc (limited and diffuse) typically have differing courses and prognoses. New classification criteria have been proposed to…
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Abstract Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is one of the most diverse autoimmune diseases as it may affect any organ in the body and display a broad spectrum of clinical and…
Generalised musculoskeletal pain syndromes
The study of the descriptive epidemiology of chronic widespread pain (CWP) in several countries is of interest, as the occurrence of this condition varies among different populations. However, reports of…
Epidemiology of gout: An update
Gout is the most common inflammatory joint disease in men, characterised by formation of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in the synovial fluid of joints and in other tissues. The epidemiology…
Osteoporosis and fragility fractures
The prevalence of osteoporosis is expected to increase with the ageing of the world’s population. This article reviews the epidemiology, risk factors and health burden of osteoporosis. In the Global…
The epidemiology of neck pain
Neck pain is becoming increasingly common throughout the world. It has a considerable impact on individuals and their families, communities, health-care systems, and businesses. There is substantial heterogeneity between neck…
The Epidemiology of low back pain
Low back pain is an extremely common problem that most people experience at some point in their life. While substantial heterogeneity exists among low back pain epidemiological studies limiting the…
Osteoarthritis
Internationally, prevalence estimates for osteoarthritis show wide variability depending on the age and sex of the studied population, the method of case identification used, and the specificity of joint sites…
