Gout is a crystal-deposition disease that results from chronic elevation of uric acid levels above the saturation point for monosodium urate (MSU) crystal formation. Initial presentation is mainly severely painful episodes of peripheral joint synovitis (acute self-limiting 'attacks') but joint damage and deformity, chronic usage-related pain and subcutaneous tophus deposition can eventually develop. The global burden of gout is substantial and seems to be increasing in many parts of the world over the past 50 years. However, methodological differences impair the comparison of gout epidemiology between countries. In this comprehensive Review, data from epidemiological studies from diverse regions of the world are synthesized to depict the geographic variation in gout prevalence and incidence. Key advances in the understanding of factors associated with increased risk of gout are also summarized. The collected data indicate that the distribution of gout is uneven across the globe, with prevalence being highest in Pacific countries. Developed countries tend to have a higher burden of gout than developing countries, and seem to have increasing prevalence and incidence of the disease. Some ethnic groups are particularly susceptible to gout, supporting the importance of genetic predisposition. Socioeconomic and dietary factors, as well as comorbidities and medications that can influence uric acid levels and/or facilitate MSU crystal formation, are also important in determining the risk of developing clinically evident gout.

Global epidemiology of gout: prevalence, incidence and risk factors

Global, regional prevalence, incidence and risk factors of knee osteoarthritis in population-based studies

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease that can potentially lead to serious organ complications and even death. Its global burden - in terms of incidence and prevalence, differential impact on populations, economic costs and capacity to compromise health-related quality of life - remains incompletely understood. The reported worldwide incidence and prevalence of SLE vary considerably; this variation is probably attributable to a variety of factors, including ethnic and geographic differences in the populations being studied, the definition of SLE applied, and the methods of case identification. Despite the heterogeneous nature of the disease, distinct patterns of disease presentation, severity and course can often be related to differences in ethnicity, income level, education, health insurance status, level of social support and medication compliance, as well as environmental and occupational factors. Given the potential for the disease to cause such severe and widespread organ damage, not only are the attendant direct costs high, but these costs are sometimes exceeded by indirect costs owing to loss of economic productivity. As an intangible cost, patients with SLE are, not surprisingly, likely to endure considerably reduced health-related quality of life.

The global burden of SLE: prevalence, health disparities and socioeconomic impact

The present study aimed to update the literature review on the prevalence of fibromyalgia published in 2006. A bibliographical survey was carried out from 2005 to 2014 in the MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, LILACS and SciELO databases and 3274 records were identified. Five researchers selected the studies, following the inclusion criteria: studies that obtained the prevalence of fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia studies in associated diseases were excluded. When screening by title and abstract, 2073 irrelevant articles were excluded. The full texts of 210 articles were evaluated for eligibility and this review included 39 studies, described in 41 articles. The selected studies were grouped into four categories: (A) prevalence of fibromyalgia in the general population; (B) prevalence of fibromyalgia in women; (C) prevalence of fibromyalgia in rural and urban areas; (D) prevalence of fibromyalgia in special populations. The literature shows values of fibromyalgia prevalence in the general population between 0.2 and 6.6%, in women between 2.4 and 6.8%, in urban areas between 0.7 and 11.4%, in rural areas between 0.1 and 5.2%, and in special populations values between 0.6 and 15%. This literature review update shows a significant increase in fibromyalgia prevalence studies in the world. The new 2010 American College of Rheumatology criteria have not been widely used yet and the COPCORD (Community-oriented program for control of Rheumatic Diseases) methodology has increased the quality of studies on the prevalence of rheumatic diseases in general.

https://www.scielo.br/pdf/rbr/v57n4/0482-5004-rbr-57-04-0356.pdf

Prevalence of fibromyalgia: literature review update.

Resumo O presente estudo teve como objetivo atualizar a revisao de literatura sobre a prevalencia da fibromialgia (FM) publicada em 2006. Foi feito levantamento bibliografico do periodo de 2005 a 2014 nas bases de dados Medline, Web of Science, Embase, Lilacs e SciELO e identificaram‐se 3.274 registros. Cinco pesquisadores selecionaram os estudos, de acordo com os criterios de inclusao: estudos que obtiveram a prevalencia da FM. Foram excluidos estudos da FM em doencas. Na triagem pelo titulo e resumo, foram excluidos 2.073 artigos irrelevantes. Foram avaliados quanto a elegibilidade os textos completos de 210 artigos, incluiram‐se nesta revisao 39 estudos, descritos em 41 artigos. Os estudos selecionados foram agrupados em quatro categorias: a) prevalencia da FM na populacao em geral; b) prevalencia da FM em mulheres; c) prevalencia da FM em areas rurais e urbanas; d) prevalencia da FM em populacoes especiais. A literatura aponta valores de prevalencia da FM na populacao em geral entre 0,2 e 6,6%, em mulheres entre 2,4 e 6,8%, nas areas urbanas entre 0,7 e 11,4%, nas rurais entre 0,1 e 5,2% e em populacoes especiais entre 0,6 e 15%. Esta atualizacao de revisao de literatura mostra um aumento expressivo de estudos de prevalencia da FM ao redor do mundo. Os novos criterios do Colegio Americano de Reumatologia de 2010 foram ainda pouco usados e a metodologia Copcord (Programa Orientado para a Comunidade para Controle de Doencas Reumaticas) aumentou a qualidade dos estudos de prevalencia de doencas reumaticas em geral.

A prevalência de fibromialgia: atualização da revisão de literatura

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints and rheu-matic diseases in southeast of Iran.Methods: Subjects were selected based on a cluster sampling from 20 districts of urban areas in Zahedan, Iran.Subjects 15 years old and over were randomly selected and interviewed by trained interviewers in their houses.The Community Oriented Program for the Control of Rheumatic Disease (COPCORD) and Core Questionnaire(CCQ) were used in this study. The people with musculoskeletal complaints (pain, stiffness and swelling) wereexamined by the rheumatologist. Laboratory tests and radiographic exams were carried out when necessary tofurther categorize diagnoses.Results: Data were collected from October 10, 2008 to September 15, 2009. Two thousand and one hundredsubjects including 921 (43.9%) males and 1179 (56.1%) females were interviewed. The average age of the popu-lation was 33.1 14.7 years. The prevalence of complaints within the past 7 days prior to the interview was54.13%. The most common sites of complaint were as follows: knee (30.59%), dorsolumbar (28.83%), shoulder(22.26%) and neck (17.07%). The most common rheumatic diseases were osteoarthritis and low back pain withthe prevalence of 18.66% and 17.71%, respectively. Finally, the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis was 0.98%.Conclusion: Musculoskeletal complaints are highly common in southeast Iran. Knee and low back pain werethe most common sites of complaints. The most frequent diagnosed diseases were osteoarthritis of knee followedby low back pain and soft tissue rheumatism. Rheumatoid arthritis was the most prevalent inﬂammatory disease.Key words: Community Oriented Program for the Control of Rheumatic Disease, epidemiology,musculoskeletal disorders, prevalence.

Eghbal Shirzaei Sani

Papers

Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in southeastern Iran: a WHO-ILAR COPCORD study (stage 1, urban study).