Out of 9855 tests performed for arthritis pan India over the last three years, it was observed that 10.14 per cent of the samples showed positivity for RA
SRL Diagnostics recently released a three year long pan India data mining survey (2012 – 2014) on rheumatoid arthritis. The data by SRL showed that out of the total samples tested, 21.74 per cent showed presence of anti-nuclear antibodies which means that their immune system may be predisposed to cause inflammation against their own body tissues. As per arthritis-India, arthritis affects approximately 15 per cent people i.e. 18 crore people in India in some form or the other. Of these around one crore suffers from rheumatoid arthritis alone.
As per the analysis by SRL, out of 9855 tests performed for arthritis pan India over the last three years, it was observed that 10.14 per cent of the samples showed positivity for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) whereas the remaining 89.86 per cent samples were negative for rheumatoid factor (RF), signifying at least one in ten cases might have RA. Furthermore, high uric acid levels were reported in 11.92 per cent of the total samples. Also elevated CRP levels were reported in a notably greater proportion of the total samples tested (43.4 per cent) signifying an underlying ongoing inflammation in the patients.
Dr Leena Chatterjee, Director – Fortis SRL Labs & SRL Strategic Initiatives says, “Osteoarthtis can easily be diagnosed by clinicians by using advanced radiology tests. However, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been a puzzling disease and since decades doctors could do little about it. But now due to newer diagnostic tests and advances in treatment in preventing joint damage, it has become highly manageable. The average age of onset of RA is 40 to 60, yet it can strike any time, from kids to 80-year olds.”