Abstract
Objective. To assess the prevalence of musculoskeletal (MSK) pain and rheumatic diseases in the southeastern Mexican state of Yucatán.
Methods. Using the Community Oriented Program in the Rheumatic Diseases (COPCORD) methodology, we performed a door-to-door, cross-sectional study generated through a multistage, stratified, randomized method on 3915 adult residents (age 42.7 ± 17.1 yrs; women 61.8%; urban setting 45.7%) of the Mexican state of Yucatán. We used universally accepted criteria for the diagnosis or classification of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA; knee and hand), fibromyalgia, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), gout, ankylosing spondylitis, regional rheumatic pain syndromes, and inflammatory back pain.
Results. Nontraumatic MSK pain in the last 7 days was present in 766 (19.6%; 95% CI 18.3–20.8) individuals. MSK pain was more prevalent in women (26.6%) versus men (12.2%; p < 0.01). Self-reported MSK disability occurred in 1.7%. Most MSK pain-related variables were consistently more prevalent in the urban setting. The prevalence of rheumatic disease was: OA 6.8% (95% CI 6.0–7.6); back pain 3.8% (95% CI 3.2–4.4); RA 2.8% (95% CI 2.2–3.3); rheumatic regional pain syndromes 2.3% (95% CI 1.9–2.8); inflammatory back pain 0.7% (95% CI 0.5–1.0); fibromyalgia 0.2% (95% CI 0.1–0.4); gout 0.1% (95% CI 0.07–0.3); and SLE 0.07% (95% CI 0.01–0.2).
Conclusion. The prevalence of MSK pain was 19.6%. MSK pain was more prevalent in women and in the urban setting. A remarkably high prevalence of RA was found in this population, which suggests a role for geographic factors.
- RHEUMATIC DISEASES
- MEXICO
- MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN
- PREVALENCE
- COPCORD
- EPIDEMIOLOGY
Rheumatic diseases are among the most relevant health issues worldwide owing to the human suffering they impose, in addition to their increasing social and economic costs1,2. For example, in the USA, the total economic cost due to rheumatic diseases in 2003 was set at $128 billion US, equivalent to 1.2% of the gross domestic product3. Epidemiologic studies are needed worldwide to determine the effects of rheumatic diseases and to plan public health policies specifically designed to meet the requirements of each continent, country, and region4.
In most developed countries, epidemiological studies are less difficult to perform than in developing countries, due to their solid and highly structured healthcare systems, which make data collection and analysis easier. In contrast, knowledge of the possible effects of the rheumatic diseases in developing countries is scarce4. During the 1980s, an international collaborative effort produced the Community Oriented Program for the Rheumatic Diseases (COPCORD) methodology, which initially afforded a reproducible and accessible instrument for performing community-based studies to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal (MSK) complaints and rheumatic diseases in developing countries5,6,7. As a result, since 1985, at least 22 COPCORD-based community surveys with cross-cultural adaptations of the instrument have been carried out within 14 developing countries8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29. A noteworthy finding when comparing these studies is the wide variation in the prevalence of MSK complaints and rheumatic diseases, even between different regions of the same country30. Since these surveys have been carried out with a similar sampling methodology and case definition, it seems that the variations in prevalence are real and could be related to the ethnic, demographic, economic, or biological differences among the populations.
Since all previous data reinforce the need for more epidemiological studies to determine the epidemiological influence of rheumatic diseases, we performed the present cross-sectional, community, stage 1 COPCORD methodology-based study to assess the prevalence of MSK pain and the most representative rheumatic diseases in the southeastern Mexican state of Yucatán, whose inhabitants have been confirmed to have a distinctive ethnic, social, economic, and demographic profile compared to other regions of Mexico31.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
According to the 2005 Mexican National Survey of Inhabitants and Dwellings (National Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Informatics), the Yucatán state in southeastern México has 1,818,948 inhabitants and an almost balanced gender relationship (men 49.3%; women 50.7%). Less than half its inhabitants (40.2%) live in the main urban setting, the city of Merida. In this urban context, most inhabitants have a varying degree of Mestizo (Mayan-Spanish) origin; in contrast, the majority of the inhabitants of the rural sites belong almost exclusively to the Mayan ethnic group31.
Methodology
Our survey was performed in accord with the 3 phases suggested for stage 1 COPCORD methodology5,6,7. The first phase was the detection of cases of MSK pain during the last 7 days in the community through application of a validated version of the COPCORD screening questionnaire for the Mexican population21. Afterwards, individuals with MSK pain underwent a clinical examination by a primary care physician in the community especially trained for this study. In case of diagnostic uncertainty, an examination by a board-certified rheumatologist was performed. MSK pain detection and a clinical evaluation by a primary care physician were performed the same day. When necessary, the rheumatologic evaluation was carried out a maximum of 24 hours after MSK pain case detection.
Ethics issues
The protocol was approved by the Research and Ethics Committee of the High Specialty Medical Unit of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social in Merida, Yucatán, Mexico. All participants signed informed consent before entry to the study. Every individual identified as having any disease (either rheumatic or nonrheumatic) without medical care was advised to seek medical assistance and directed to the corresponding healthcare system.
The sample size for this survey was calculated based on an ad hoc pilot study, as well as considering the mean prevalence of MSK pain of previous COPCORD-based studies as a reference. Consequently, considering an uncertainty level of 3%, a confidence interval of 95% (95% CI), and power of 80%, as well as taking into account the urban/rural population relation for stratification purposes, the sample size was set at 3900 individuals.
Case definitions
American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria were used for diagnosing hand32 and knee33 osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA)34, fibromyalgia (FM)35, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)36. Additionally, we used Wallace criteria for gout diagnosis37, modified New York criteria for ankylosing spondylitis (AS)38, and Berlin criteria39 for inflammatory back pain. The diagnosis of rheumatic regional pain syndromes was based on the Southampton group criteria40; and ad hoc expert consensus case definitions were used for trigger finger and lower limb rheumatic regional pain syndromes. Diagnosis of the remaining diseases was based on the clinical criteria of the surveying physician.
Statistical analysis
Prevalence figures with 95% CI were used for depicting the descriptive epidemiological effects of MSK pain and rheumatic diseases. When necessary, inferential analyses were performed based on unpaired t test, and chi-square with Yates correction or Fisher’s exact test. Analysis was performed using the Stata statistical software. The p value was set at 0.05.
RESULTS
Sample characterization
The final sample size was 3195 individuals whose mean (standard deviation) age was 42.7 (17.1; range 18–99) years and education level 7.8 (4.5) years. There were 2422 (61.8%) women and 1493 (38.2%) men.
In all, 1787 (45.6%) were from the city of Merida; 2128 (54.4%) were surveyed in rural settings such as Akil (n = 105), Baca (n = 192), Chikindzonot (n = 258), Conkal (n = 564), Dzan (n = 245), Hocaba (n = 117), Opichen (n = 191), Sucila (n = 261), and Tahmek (n = 195).
Regarding socioeconomic status, monthly family income (US dollars) was reported as follows: 2093 individuals (56.8%) earned < $256; 1296 (35.2%) $257–512; 236 (6.4%) $513–1024; 46 (1.2%) $1025–1536; and 16 (0.4%) > $1537. Two hundred twenty-eight individuals (5.8%) declined to provide such information.
MSK pain features
Nontraumatic MSK pain in the last 7 days was reported by 766 individuals (19.6%; 95% CI 18.3–20.8); most ranked pain intensity score on a visual analog pain scale (0–10) as medium or high, i.e., > 4 (Table 1). The knee was the most affected body region, followed by hands, spine, and shoulders (Table 2). Remarkably, MSK pain was consistently more prevalent in the group of individuals older than 76 years and in women (Table 3).
Prevalence of rheumatic diseases
OA was the most prevalent rheumatic disease found in this study, followed by nonspecific low back pain, regional rheumatic pain syndromes, and RA. The most important in this regard was the high prevalence of 2.8% of RA. Prevalence of inflammatory back pain, FM, gout, AS, and other diseases was lower than 1.0% (Table 4).
Comparison between urban and rural settings
The comparison of rural and urban data produced some significant differences (Table 5). The influence of MSK pain in the urban setting was greater than in rural sites.
DISCUSSION
Our study was performed in accord with the stage 1 COPCORD methodology and included a multistage, stratified, randomized sample of 3915 individuals from the southeastern Mexican state of Yucatán. We found a 19.6% prevalence of MSK pain, which was higher in women and in the urban setting.
The prevalence of MSK pain has been consistently approached as a primary outcome in all the community COPCORD-based studies. Remarkably, the comparison of COPCORD results from many countries shows high variability in prevalence of MSK pain, ranging from 13.3% in Shanghai, China20, to 66.0% in rural Iran8. In most studies, the prevalence of MSK pain ranges between these extremes9,10,12,13,14,15,16,17,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29. Until now, there is no clear explanation for this variability in MSK pain in the community. Unfortunately, analysis of demographic, ethnic, and socioeconomic factors in such populations has not been applied consistently.
Where prevalence of MSK pain in urban versus rural populations has been reported, contrasting data have emerged. Joshi and Chopra11 and Haq, et al15 reported higher prevalence of MSK pain in rural versus urban populations; conversely, Darmawan, et al27, and our study found the opposite. Our findings are supported by the fact that MSK pain-related disability and pain intensity were more prevalent in urban settings.
Comparable to the 2 other COPCORD-based studies in which this issue has been addressed, our study found a consistently higher prevalence of MSK pain in women17,29.
In accord with most community COPCORD-based studies, we also found a decreasing gradient of prevalence for the studied diseases, OA, low back pain, RA, and soft tissue rheumatism, the 4 most prevalent rheumatic disorders. The prevalence of FM, SLE, gout, AS, and other miscellaneous rheumatic diseases could also be ranked within the range of the frequencies reported in all other COPCORD studies7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29, including the study by Cardiel and Rojas-Serrano21, performed in the central region of México.
A remarkable finding was the relatively high prevalence of RA in our sample: 2.8%. The only comparable results, reported by Reyes-Llerena, et al, in a small study of 300 urban residents of La Havana, Cuba, was 2.7%24. Our results place the population of the Yucatán at the top of RA prevalence among all the community COPCORD-based studies, including the previous Mexican report by Cardiel and Rojas-Serrano, where the prevalence was set at 0.3%21.
Although RA prevalence may be overestimated in community-based surveys, we believe we avoided this flaw due to our sampling method, the type of screening for MSK pain, and the use of ACR criteria for case definitions: thus this relatively high prevalence of RA is a real possibility. Moreover, findings that Yucatán may be epidemiologically characterized by a relatively high prevalence of RA are supported by the report of Alvarez-Nemegyei, et al, in which all the 761 adult residents of a small rural village of Yucatán were included. In that study, a prevalence of 4.7% was found; however, their study was not COPCORD screened, nor were ACR criteria for RA used for diagnosis41.
The unexpected female overrepresentation, despite the planned sampling strategy aimed to avoid such issues, can be argued to be a major potential drawback of our study. The fact that almost all rheumatic diseases have a female preponderance could have resulted in the overestimation in prevalence of at least some diseases such as RA, SLE, and FM. We retrospectively think that, currently, this overrepresentation cannot be avoided in community surveys carried out in the geographic region studied because the prevailing socioeconomic changes in this setting may have resulted in the migration of males to other geographic sites (inside or outside México) in search of employment to support their families.
We conclude that the prevalence of MSK pain in the southeastern Mexican state of Yucatán was 19.6%; MSK pain was more frequent in females, in addition to being more prevalent and having more functional repercussions in the urban setting. Further, when compared to all the previous community COPCORD-based reports, this population seems to have a relatively higher prevalence of RA. This finding warrants more basic and/or epidemiologic research to verify whether in this population this finding is real and if so, to identify the single or intervening ethnic, social, demographic, environmental, or biologic factors.
Our findings highlight the necessity of initiating phase 2 COPCORD methodology (interventions in patient education and treatment) in the geographic region studied.
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