Prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in Tucumán, Argentina

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Tucumán, Argentina. METHODS: The study was conducted between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 1999, in Tucumán province in northwest Argentina. Outpatient and hospitalization medical records for all patients with RA aged >...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of rheumatology 2002-06, Vol.29 (6), p.1166
Main Authors: Alberto Spindler, Verónica Bellomio, Alberto Berman, Eleonora Lucero, Marcelo Baigorria, Silvia Paz, Norma Garrone, Alberto Ives Torres, Olga Romano, Ana Carraccio, Olga Leal, Ana Bazzano, Dora Vazquez, Oscar Pera, Gustavo Arquez, Marcos Valdez, Hector Lazaro, Silvia Rengel, Emma Acosta, Mirta Santana
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Tucumán, Argentina. METHODS: The study was conducted between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 1999, in Tucumán province in northwest Argentina. Outpatient and hospitalization medical records for all patients with RA aged > or = 16 years were reviewed. Diagnosis was by 1987 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for RA and the population data were based on the 1991 national census. Prevalence rates, with 95% CI, were calculated using the number of San Miguel de Tucumán residents who fulfilled the 1987 ACR criteria for RA as numerator, and the city population aged > or = 16 as denominator. Crude and age-specific prevalence rates were calculated as number of cases/1,000 inhabitants. RESULTS: We identified 695 cases of RA. Sex-specific and overall prevalence rates (per 1,000) were 1.97 (95% CI 1.8-2) for all, 0.6 (95% CI 0.49-0.73) for men, 3.2 (95% CI 2.9-3.5) for women. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of RA is low in residents of Tucumán, Argentina, and comparable with rates observed in epidemiological surveys from Southern European countries.
ISSN:0315-162X
1499-2752