Incidence and prevalence of autoimmune diseases in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological studies

Olaa Mohamed-Ahmed; Lianhan Shang; Lin Wang; Zhengming Chen; Christiana Kartsonaki; Fiona Bragg

doi:10.1016/j.gloepi.2024.100158

Incidence and prevalence of autoimmune diseases in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological studies

Glob Epidemiol. 2024 Aug 9:8:100158. doi: 10.1016/j.gloepi.2024.100158. eCollection 2024 Dec.

Authors

Olaa Mohamed-Ahmed^{1

2}, Lianhan Shang¹, Lin Wang¹, Zhengming Chen^{1

3}, Christiana Kartsonaki^{1

3}, Fiona Bragg^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Clinical Trial Service Unit and Epidemiological Studies Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7LF, UK.
² UK Health Security Agency, London SW1P 3JR, UK.
³ Medical Research Council Population Health Research Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7LF, UK.

Abstract

Background: Autoimmune diseases account for a substantial burden of disease in high-income countries, including Europe and North America. However, their epidemiology remains under-researched in other regions. We examined the incidence and prevalence of eight autoimmune diseases in the adult Chinese population through a systematic review of epidemiological studies.

Methods: We searched OvidSP MEDLINE and Google Scholar from 1995 to 2023 (inclusive) for articles on the incidence or prevalence of autoimmune thyroiditis (AT), Graves' disease (GD), type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D), multiple sclerosis (MS), Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We included studies from mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong or Macau. The study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021225842).

Findings: We retrieved 2278 records, of which 62 studies (161 estimates) were included in the systematic review, and 42 studies (101 estimates) were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled fixed-effects estimates for incidence of CD, UC, MS, T1D and SLE were 0.22 (95% CI 0.21-0.23), 1.13 (1.10-1.17), 0.28 (0.26-0.30), 2.20 (1.70-2.84) and 4.87 (4.21-5.64) per 100,000 persons, respectively. For RA, one study estimate was included, with an incidence of 15.8 per 100,000 persons. Fixed-effects estimates for the prevalence of CD, UC, MS, SLE, RA, GD and AT were 3.73 (95% CI 3.68-3.78), 16.11 (15.93-16.29), 4.08 (3.95-4.21), 93.44 (92.27-94.63), 104 (103-106), 450 (422-481) and 2322 (2057-2620), respectively, per 100,000 persons. Across all conditions, women were almost twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.

Interpretation: There is marked variation in the frequency of autoimmune diseases among Chinese adults. We estimate that 2.7-3.0% (>31 million people) of the adult Chinese population have one or more autoimmune diseases, comparable to Western populations, with the majority of the burden from autoimmune thyroid diseases and rheumatoid arthritis.

Keywords: Autoimmune conditions; Autoimmune diseases; Autoimmunity; China; Crohn's disease; Epidemiology; Graves' disease; Hashimoto disease; Multiple sclerosis; Ulcerative colitis.

Publication types

Review