Prevalence of anemia among patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Vatutin M.T. ¹, Kalinkina N.V. ¹, Smyrnova G.S. ¹, Beloglazov V.A. ², Palamarchyuk O.I. ³

• ¹Донецкий национальный медицинский университет им. Максима Горького
• ²ГУ «Крымский государственный медицинский университет им. С.И. Георгиевского МЗ Украины»
• ³ГУ «Запорожская медицинская академия последипломного образования МЗ Украины»

Summary. Summary. The purpose of the study was to estimate prevalence of anemia among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). 362 patients (296 women and 66 men) were enrolled into the study. In 169 (46.5%) patients (1st group) anemia (the average level of haemoglobin — 107.6±11.9 g/l) was diagnosed, the others (the 2nd group) had normal level of haemoglobin (135.5±10.7 g/l). Results of investigation have shown that patients of the 1st group had longer disease duration and higher RA activity in comparison with the 2nd. Levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and rheumatoid factor (RF) also were higher in the 1st group, than in the 2nd. There wasn’t any difference in radiological stage and prevalence of seropositive RA between groups. The correlation in the analysis showed existence of negative interrelation between concentration of hemoglobin and ESR level (r=–0.48; р<0.05), CRP (r=–0.42; р<0.05), RF (r=–0.36; р<0.05), duration of RA (r=–0.34; р<0.05) and degree of its activity (ρ=–0.36; р<0.05).