OBJECTIVES:  Cost-utility analyses using local data are required in several Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries for reimbursement decisions. The aim of this research was to analyse the available studies in rheumatic diseases in the CEE region using the EQ-5D, a preferred instrument to calculate quality-adjusted life years (QALY). METHODS: A systematic search was performed to identify EQ-5D studies using PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, The Cochrane Library and the EuroQol Group database up to July 1, 2015. Also, authors handsearched local journals. Full-text articles reporting original research with EQ-5D instruments from Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia or Slovenia were included. Studies on diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue were selected. RESULTS: From the 143 papers 23 dealt with rheumatic conditions, of which 15 (65%) were in English. The first study was launched in 2002. Most studies were from Hungary (65%) and none from Bulgaria or Romania. A total of 5434 patients were involved (n=patients/studies: osteoporosis 2685/4; rheumatoid arthritis-RA 1666/6; hip replacement 274/2; low back pain 268/4; psoriatic arthritis 240/2; osteoarthritis 175/3; systemic sclerosis 80/1; chronic shoulder pain 46/1). There were 11 cohorts (1 registry), 7 cross-sectional studies and 5 randomized controlled trials. No studies with the EQ-5D-5L were found. EQ-5D utility scores were reported in 19 (83%) papers but in 10 of them the applied tariff was not specified. The average utility scores of biological drug-naive RA samples were comparable (0.36-0.48) across studies. CONCLUSIONS:  An increasing but heterogeneous EQ-5D research activity can be observed in rheumatology in the CEE region. Paediatric studies and data from clinical areas with costly treatments such as ankylosing spondylitis and systemic lupus are lacking. Inter-country collaborations and joint research planning are encouraged to efficiently expand the availability of utility data for cost-effectiveness studies in the region.