title: Prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in the five urban regions of Brazil-the Brazilian COPCORD study (BRAZCO).
abstract: The objective of this study is to describe the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms (MSK-S) in the five urban geographical regions of Brazil using the Portuguese version of the Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Diseases (COPCORD) core questionnaire (CQ)-BRAZCO study. From April to May 2013, a population-based survey was conducted by applying the CQ for 5000 individuals aged over 15 years in 16 capitals of the Brazilian regions. Trained teams assessed the MSK-S and socioeconomic status. The sample consisted of representative quotas of the Brazilian population, proportional to the capitals' population density. It respected the groups' quotas of gender and age and included all socioeconomic classes, educational levels, and occupations. There were 1342 (26.9 %) participants who presented MSK-S unrelated to trauma in 7 days preceding the interview. A higher prevalence of these complaints were in females (65.2 %), elderly people, in the north region of the country (30.7 %), and a lower prevalence was found in single individuals (41.7 %) and in the south (23.3 %). The most frequent pain sites were the spine (76.7 %) and knees (49.6 %), and the mean pain intensity was 6.8 (VAS). The BRAZCO study shows that Brazilian population presents a higher rate of MSK-S unrelated to trauma than many Asian countries. These results can be applied to guide the assessment of prevalence of rheumatic diseases. Additionally, it can help in the design of policies for health care workforce organization and its accessibility, as well as to reduce the risk of rheumatic diseases at the community level.
authors.affiliation: Centro Universitário São Camilo, Rua Sena Madureira Street, 1123, Apartamento 131, Vila Clementino, 04021-051, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. edgardtr@hotmail.com.|Department of Medicine, Rheumatology Division, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. edgardtr@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Edgard Torres
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Dos Reis-Neto
authors.affiliation: Grupo Interdepartamental de Economia da Saúde (GRIDES), Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.|Department of Medicine, Rheumatology Division, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcos Bosi
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Ferraz
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Mc Master University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.|Department of Medicine, Rheumatology Division, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sérgio Candido
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kowalski
authors.affiliation: Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.|Department of Medicine, Rheumatology Division, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Geraldo da Rocha Castelar
authors.initials: Gda R
authors.lastname: Pinheiro
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.|Department of Medicine, Rheumatology Division, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Emilia Inoue
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Brazil; Epidemiology; Musculoskeletal pain