# Arthritis and Autoimmune Disease Epidemiology and Impact in the Alaska Native Population

> **NIH NIH R01** · ALASKA NATIVE TRIBAL HEALTH CONSORTIUM · 2020 · $262,720

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
Arthritis and autoimmune diseases are a major cause of morbidity in the United States. Health
disparities have been identified, with higher rates of many of these conditions in American Indian and
Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. Studies of individual forms of arthritis and autoimmune diseases
have found high rates of rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and spondyloarthritis in AI/AN populations.
However, these conditions are often neglected as a public health or research priority and some,
including osteoarthritis and psoriatic arthritis, have not been studied. Individuals with arthritis or
autoimmune diseases are more likely to be hospitalized, and disparities in hospitalization rates have
been described in other indigenous populations. Multiple studies in the United States have found
disparities in total joint replacement rates in Black vs. White individuals with arthritis, but almost all
studies of these disparities exclude the AI/AN population. A systematic population-based investigation
of the prevalence, hospitalization rates and outcomes of arthritis and autoimmune diseases, and joint
replacement disparities in AI/AN populations is warranted and would add significantly to the literature.
To address this understudied health disparity, we propose the following Specific Aims: 1) Determine the
prevalence of specific forms of arthritis and autoimmune disease in Alaska Native people statewide; 2)
Determine the hospitalization rates and causes of hospitalization for AI/AN compared to non-AI/AN
individuals in Alaska with arthritis and autoimmune diseases; and 3) Determine the rate of joint
replacements (total knee and total hip) for AI/AN compared to non-AI/AN individuals statewide. It is our
expectation, based on available data in AI/AN and other populations, that we will find high rates of most
forms of arthritis or autoimmune disease in the Alaska Native population, high hospitalization rates, and
low rates of joint replacements. This study is a unique partnership between a researcher in a tribal
health organization and the organization's tribal epidemiology center that will leverage existing datasets
to address understudied and significant health conditions in the Alaska Native population. We expect
this study to add significantly to the literature on health disparities in arthritis and autoimmune diseases.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9989170
- **Project number:** 5R01MD014664-02
- **Recipient organization:** ALASKA NATIVE TRIBAL HEALTH CONSORTIUM
- **Principal Investigator:** Elizabeth D Ferucci
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $262,720
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-05 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9989170

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9989170, Arthritis and Autoimmune Disease Epidemiology and Impact in the Alaska Native Population (5R01MD014664-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9989170. Licensed CC0.

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