Comparative analysis of the detection of diseases of the muscular system in minors of Saint Petersburg

BACKGROUND: Diseases of the musculoskeletal system in children and their dynamics and structure are urgent health problems and have important scientific and practical significance. The epidemiological features of the detectability of pathology in different regions are of interest for detailed consideration. AIM: This study aimed to conduct a comparative characterization of the primary morbidity of children with diseases of the musculoskeletal system in St. Petersburg in the 2017–2022 period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Official collections of statistical reports of the Central Research Institute of Organization and Informatization of Healthcare from 2017 to 2022 were analyzed. Indicators of diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue in children were analyzed, and a comparative assessment of the ratio of the probabilities of detecting pathologies in general and for individual nosologies presented in the collections in St. Petersburg and the Russian Federation was performed. Digital analysis was performed in Microsoft Office 2010 programs (Word and Excel). RESULTS: The indicators of primary morbidity in St. Petersburg from 2017 to 2022 exceeded the national and regional averages and had a negative upward trend. In all age groups, over 6 years, the odds ratio in favor of St. Petersburg increased with arthropathies in general and deforming dorsopathies and decreased with spondylopathies and systemic connective tissue lesions. Moreover, in children aged 0–14 years, the chances of detection in St. Petersburg increased with respect to reactive arthropathies and fell with juvenile arthritis, whereas in adolescents the increase concerned juvenile arthritis and the decrease in reactive arthropathies. In rheumatoid arthritis, a transition was noted – the probabilities of detection have become lower in favor of the regions in Russia. CONCLUSIONS: In St. Petersburg, an unfavorable trend in the probabilities of detecting diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue was registered among children. A two-stage increase in indicators was found in 2017–2019 and 2020–2022, and the rate of increase in the detectability of most nosologies during the COVID-19 pandemic exceeded the prepandemic values, indicating the conjugacy of the studied group of diseases with organizational limitations in the outpatient unit, quality and specificity of differential diagnosis, and viral component. The identified features indicate the need for a reassessment of organizational measures and management decisions.