title: Epidemiology of rheumatic diseases in Iran from analysis of four COPCORD studies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To calculate the epidemiology of Rheumatic Diseases in Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data of Tehran, Zahedan, Sanandaj (urban) and Tuyserkan (rural) stage Community Oriented Program for the Control of Rheumatic Diseases (COPCORD) studies were gathered. The data were adjusted to the population number of the studied areas to represent Iran.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The population of Iran is 75 149 669 (71.5% urban areas, males 50.4%) and of the mentioned area were respectively 10 000 000, 580 071, 311 444 and 109 262. The interviewed subjects were 10 291, 1565, 2100 and 5830. Male/female ratio was 0.9/1, 0.8/1, 08/1 and 0.8/1. Musculoskeletal complaints during the past 7 days (people aged ≥ 15 years) were detected in 44.7% of subjects. They were: shoulder 15.6%, wrist 10.4%, hands and fingers 10.2%, hip 8.3%, knee 27.4%, ankle 12.3%, toes 6.2%, cervical spine 14.2% and dorsolumbar spine 23.7%. Osteoarthritis (OA) was detected in 16.9%: knee 15.5%, hands 2.9% and hip 0.32%. Low back pain was found in 15.7%, sciatica in 0.94%, and soft tissue rheumatism in 4.6% (shoulder tenosynovitis 2.5%, frozen shoulder 0.56%, tennis elbow 1.2%, golf elbow 0.48%, de Quervain tenosynovitis 0.24%, trigger finger 0.2%, carpal tunnel syndrome 1.3%). Rheumatoid arthritis was detected in 0.37%, seronegative spondyloarthropathy in 0.24%, ankylosing spondylitis in 0.12%, systemic lupus erythematosus in 0.06%, Behcet's disease in 0.08%, fibromyalgia in 0.79% and gout in 0.13%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared to other COPCORD reports (17 countries), Iran gets the following rank: musculoskeletal complaints second, low back pain fourth, osteoarthritis second, knee osteoarthritis third, soft tissue rheumatism sixth, rheumatoid arthritis tenth, seronegative spondyloarthropathies fifth, gout eleventh and fibromyalgia fifth.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Research Center, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Fereydoun
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Davatchi
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Research Center, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahnaz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sandoughi
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Research Center, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Nasrin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moghimi
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Research Center, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Ahmad-Reza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Jamshidi
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Research Center, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Arash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tehrani Banihashemi
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Research Center, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zakeri
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Research Center, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Bahar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sadeghi Abdollahi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D012423:Rural Health; D014504:Urban Health; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: 
  COPCORD
  ; epidemiology of rheumatic diseases; general epidemiology studies; osteoarthritis; soft tissue rheumatism