Prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in Belgrade, Yugoslavia

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of chronic arthritis with specialreference to rheumatoid arthritis. METHOD: A cross-sectional study wasperformed during the years 1990 and 1991 in a randomly selected sample ofthe urban population of Belgrade. RESULTS: Out of 2184 participants, >or = 20 yr old, surveyed by questionnaire, 756 (34.6%) reported peripheraljoint complaints. Of those with complaints, 621 (82.1%) agreed to undergodetailed examination. Arthritis was diagnosed in four men (one hadrheumatoid arthritis and three had spondylarthropathy with peripheralarthritis) and 11 women (three had rheumatoid arthritis, one hadB27-positive polyarthritis and seven had undifferentiated chronicarthritis). The prevalence of chronic arthritis in the adult population was0.69% (0.35% for men and 1.05% for women). The prevalence for rheumatoidarthritis was 0.18% (0.09% for men and 0.29% for women). Re-examination of15 individuals with chronic arthritis 3 yr later showed changes indiagnosis only in those patients who at baseline examination hadundifferentiated chronic arthritis. CONCLUSION: According to the resultsobtained, the urban population of Belgrade is among populations with a lowprevalence of rheumatoid arthritis.