Prevalence of rheumatic diseases in Brazil: a study using the COPCORD approach.

TLDR

The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of rheumatic diseases among adults in Montes Claros, Brazil, using the COPCORD questionnaire in a cross‑sectional sample of 3,038 residents. Researchers administered the COPCORD questionnaire to all participants, had a rheumatologist evaluate those with pain or functional limitation, and confirmed diagnoses with laboratory tests and radiographs, stratifying subjects by socioeconomic quintile. Among 219 identified patients (mean age 37, female‑predominant), osteoarthritis (57.5 %), fibromyalgia (34.7 %), rheumatoid arthritis (6.4 %) and lupus (1.4 %) were observed; OA prevalence was 4.14 %, FM 2.5 %, RA 0.46 % and lupus 0.098 %, with socioeconomic level D most common and 35.2 % unemployed.

Abstract

To estimate the prevalence of rheumatic diseases in residents of Montes Claros, Brazil, of both sexes, aged above 16 years, using the COPCORD questionnaire.This was a cross-sectional study of 3038 people; the sample was probabilistic, by conglomerates, multiple stages, within homogeneous strata, the sampling unit being the domicile. The COPCORD questionnaire was used for all subjects, and a rheumatologist evaluated those patients who presented pain and/or functional disability. Laboratory tests and radiographs of small and large joints were done in some patients to confirm the diagnosis. Subjects were identified by socioeconomic level in quintiles A, B, C, D, and E, A being the highest.Two hundred nineteen patients were identified with rheumatic diseases, mean age 37 (SD 27) years, with female predominance. Seventy-seven (35.2%) were unemployed and socioeconomic level D was the most prevalent. Of all patients with rheumatic disease, osteoarthritis (OA) was observed in 126 (57.5%) patients, fibromyalgia (FM) in 76 (34.7%), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 14 (6.4%), and lupus in 3 (1.4%). Women were predominant in all diseases except OA. The mean (SD) age was 56 (12.7) years for OA, 43.2 (9.1) for FM, 53.4 (13.9) for RA, and 40 (14) for lupus.The prevalence of rheumatic diseases evaluated by the COPCORD questionnaire was 4.14% for OA, 2.5% for FM, 0.46% for RA, and 0.098% for lupus.