22-Pct People Aged Above 16 in S. China City Suffer From Rheumatism
Posted on: Sunday, 19 February 2006, 09:00 CST
22-pct people aged above 16 in S. China city suffer from rheumatism
SHENZHEN, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- About 22 percent of residents aged above 16 in South China's Shenzhen city suffer from rheumatism and subsequent arthralgia, and many of the patients are not diagnosed or treated in time, the city health experts warned.
Only 54 percent of rheumatoid arthritis cases are diagnosed at an early stage, 35 percent are misdiagnosed and 46 percent are not being treated properly, said Professor Ye Zhizhong, a epidemiologist who masterminded a research program on the incidence of rheumatic diseases in the city of South China's Guangdong Province.
"As a result, many patients have missed the opportune time for medical treatment and have become handicapped," he said.
Rheumatoid arthritis, just one of the common rheumatic diseases, is often neglected by patients until the pain becomes serious.
The research also found a 0.42-percent incidence rate of gout, a serious rheumatic diseases, in Shenzhen, compared with an average 0.15 percent reported in other parts of China.
Though most gout patients are middle-aged and old people, the research found 28 percent of the patients are young people, mostly alcoholics, high protein diners and night owls, said Prof. Ye.
Shenzhen also reported a 0.08-percent incidence rate for lupus erythematosus, compared with the 0.05 percent for the average Asians.
Doctors say there are physiological as well as psychological causes behind the systemic disease, and most patients suffered mental stress or psychological crises a year or two before they came down with the disease.
Shenzhen is a fast-growing city with lots of migrants, and health experts have advised the residents to vent their anxiety and depression in time to better cope with the high pressure and intense competition.
Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS
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