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Project

Epidemiology of autoimmune disorders. Evidence on incidence, prevalence and risk factors.

Background: Autoimmune disorders are chronic and potentially life threatening disorders, which collectively affect 3 to 5% of the population in high income countries. The aetiology of autoimmune disorders is unknown, but is thought to be driven by a combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors. To this date, evidence that could guide systematic screening and prevention is lacking for many of these conditions.
Aim: to investigate temporal trends and patterns of incidence and prevalence of 20 autoimmune disorders in the general population (objective 1) and to examine potentially modifiable risk factors associated with increased incidence of autoimmune disorders, by disease, age, and sex groups (objective 2).
Methods: Analyses will be performed on two of the largest and richest datasets available for research purposes in the world. Incidence and prevalence calculations will use anonymised electronic health records with >100 million patient-years from 2000 to 2020 from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). Risk factor analyses will rely on UK Biobank data from >500’000 participants and >600 different measurements.
Expected Outcomes: A better understanding of the epidemiology of autoimmune disorders will help generating early intervention strategies on modifiable exposure and improving disease prevention. Differences between conditions may further point towards biological functions underlying these complications and inform the design of future research.

Date:1 Nov 2021 →  Today
Keywords:Autoimmune disorders, incidence, risk factors
Disciplines:Autoimmunity, Preventive medicine, Epidemiology