Prevalence Trend and Disparities in Rheumatoid Arthritis among US Adults, 2005–2018

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) trends among US adults and disparities in RA patients in recent years have not been well described. We aimed to examine the trend of RA prevalence and disparities among US adults. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) of the years 2005–2018 were analyzed to examine the self-reported RA prevalence trend. Age-adjusted RA prevalence stratified by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES), as well as associated linear trends, were calculated for both genders. The multivariable adjustment was used to evaluate the association between race, SES, and RA. During 2005–2018, there was no significant linear trend in the age-adjusted self-reported RA prevalence among men and women, but significant differences among people from different races, educational levels, and family poverty income ratio (PIR) groups were observed. The RA rate difference was significant for both genders and between Non-Hispanic Caucasians and Non-Hispanic African Americans (both p-value ≤ 0.001). Both men and women with a higher educational level and a higher PIR had a lower age-adjusted RA rate. Age-adjusted RA prevalence fluctuated for both men and women during 2005–2018. Non-Hispanic African Americans and people with low SES had significantly higher age-adjusted RA prevalence and RA risk.