Aim of the study: Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a disease of unknown aetiology, with a variable course, and with the possibility of exacerbations associated with life-threatening organ damage. Data on the incidence of GPA in Poland are limited. Epidemiological analysis can provide a lot of information that contributes to more accurate knowledge about GPA. The objective of this study was to conduct an analysis of GPA incidence in Poland with comparison of results to selected European countries. An additional analysis was performed according to the distribution of gender, age and hospitalization structure in GPA patients.
Material and methods: The estimation of GPA incidence was based on data taken from the Polish hospital morbidity registry of the National Institute of Public Health, in the scope of which data on all inpatients discharged from non-psychiatric hospitals in Poland are collected. Analysed data covered 1112 medical records taken from the first time of hospitalization records with diagnosis of GPA. The observation time ranged from December 2004 to December 2010.
Results: The average annual incidence of GPA in Poland was estimated to be 4.9/million in the general population, 5.8/million in the adult population and 1/million in the population of patients below 18 years of age. The annual incidence in Poland was comparable to incidence data from other European countries. The analysis of hospitalizations showed that the GPA patients were most often hospitalized in pulmonary, nephrology and rheumatology departments. During the observation period hospitalizations ended with death in 80 patients and GPA as an underlying cause of death was reported in 60 cases.
Conclusions: In this study GPA incidence in Poland was estimated. Analyses of the structure of hospitalizations suggested that symptoms from the respiratory tract, kidneys and joints could be leading symptoms in the early stage of GPA development.