Objective: To determine the point prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints and rheumatic diseases in a Filipino urban community.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional 2 phase survey was conducted in an urban community in Metropolitan manila. Phase I (screening) used face-to-face interviews, while phase II (examination) involved case identification of the rheumatic diseases. We sampled 670 households (3065 adults) using a multistage cluster sampling method. A pilot study was conducted to pretest the questionnaire for cross-cultural adaptation and validation, field procedures, sampling design, and data management plan. Standardized translated COPCORD questionnaires (blind translation and blind back-translation) were administered by trained interviewers. Two weeks after Phase I, Phase II was conducted at local health centers. The COPCORD questionnaire screened the number of cases with musculoskeletal complaints. Identification of cases with rheumatic disease was based on American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria.
Results: Respondents completed 3006 questionnaires (phase I response rate 98%). Of these 489 respondents had musculoskeletal complaints. Functional disability was reported in 25% among these respondents. We examined 353 (phase II response rate 72%), revealing 294 with rheumatic conditions. In 26 persons there were no abnormalities, while 32 had nonrheumatic conditions at examination. The most common rheumatic diseases were osteoarthritis (OA) (n = 124) and soft tissue rheumatism (n = 115).
Conclusion: The prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints was 16.3% (95% CI 8.6-24.0) of the adult population in a FIlipino urban community. The total prevalence of rheumatic disease is 9.8% (95% CI 8.2-11.4). The prevalence of OA was 4.1% (95% CI 3.3-4.9) and soft tissue rheumatism 3.8% (95% CI 2.9-4.8). The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis, 0.17% (95% CI 0-9.36), was notably low compared to the prevalence in other developing countries.