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Musculoskeletal Disorders and Rehabilitation · Journal article
Idosr Journal of Scientific Research · September 7, 2026
Early or partial results. Treat as a signal, not a conclusion.
This is a narrative review comparing arthritis epidemiology in Nigeria and Uganda, synthesizing published evidence without new data collection or quantified meta-analytic synthesis. The review identifies osteoarthritis as the most commonly reported subtype in both countries with higher burden in women and older adults, and highlights significant diagnostic and treatment gaps for inflammatory arthritis due to limited specialist and laboratory capacity.
Narrative literature review. General adult populations in Nigeria and Uganda, with focus on gender and age distributions; also considers juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Nigeria and Uganda.
Osteoarthritis appears to be the most commonly reported arthritis subtype in both Nigeria and Uganda Higher arthritis burden observed among women and older adults in both settings Inflammatory arthritis remains underdiagnosed and underreported due to limited specialist access and diagnostic capacity
Safety was not reported in the material analysed. Check the source before drawing any conclusion about harm.
This review provides a conceptual map of arthritis burden in two major Sub-Saharan African countries and identifies critical diagnostic and capacity gaps, but does not provide quantified prevalence or incidence data to guide individual clinical practice or resource allocation decisions.
This is a narrative review synthesizing existing evidence on arthritis epidemiology in two countries, without new primary data, original analysis, or quantified comparisons; it identifies research gaps and proposes priorities rather than answering a defined question.
As stated by the source record.
This review provides a conceptual map of arthritis burden in two major Sub-Saharan African countries and identifies critical diagnostic and capacity gaps, but does not provide quantified prevalence or incidence data to guide individual clinical practice or resource allocation decisions.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
What is missing. This record has no reported figures. That is a gap in the analysis, not a judgement about the study.
Arthritis is an important, often under-recognized public health problem in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), contributing to pain, disability, reduced productivity, and increased health-system use. Nigeria and Uganda, two populous SSA countries with differing demographic structures, urbanization patterns, health-system capacities, and infectious disease burdens, offer a useful lens for comparing arthritis epidemiology. This review synthesizes available evidence on the burden, patterns, determinants, and health-system implications of arthritis in Nigeria and Uganda. We compare prevalence estimates, subtype distribution (osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthropathies, gout, juvenile idiopathic arthritis), risk-factor profiles, urban–rural gradients, gender and age distributions, and diagnostic/treatment gaps. We also highlight key methodological limitations (case definitions, sampling frames, under-diagnosis, limited imaging/laboratory access) and propose a pragmatic research and surveillance agenda. Overall, osteoarthritis appears to be the most commonly reported arthritis subtype in both settings, with higher burden among women and older adults, while inflammatory arthritis remains underdiagnosed and underreported due to limited specialist access and diagnostic capacity. Context-specific prevention strategies (obesity control, injury prevention, occupational ergonomics), improved case detection (validated screening tools, primary-care training), and registry-based surveillance are priorities. Keywords: Arthritis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, spondyloarthritis, epidemiology, Nigeria, Uganda, Sub-Saharan Africa
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