Recent trends in orthopedic surgery aiming to improve quality of life for those with rheumatoid arthritis: data from a large observational cohort.

Objective: To describe current trends in the numbers of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related surgeries.

Methods: The number of operations was determined for patients with RA in a large observational cohort [Institute of Rheumatology, Rheumatoid Arthritis (IORRA)] enrolled from 2001 to 2012.

Results: The total number of operations peaked in 2002 and gradually decreased thereafter, but began to increase again in 2008. The number of total knee replacements has decreased since 2003, while the number of wrist and foot arthroplasties and the number of artificial finger prosthesis surgeries have increased gradually.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that the number of orthopedic surgeries may change in response to changes in the drug therapy for RA.