title: Rheumatic Diseases in Chihuahua, México: A COPCORD Survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rheumatic diseases (RDs) represent a global problem for health care systems and patients. Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Diseases (COPCORD) is a low-cost screening tool for detecting musculoskeletal (MSK) pain and RDs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to examine the pattern of MSK pain and RDs in clinic population in Chihuahua City, Mexico.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted in 7 primary health clinics using the COPCORD methodology in subjects older than 18 years. People with MSK pain not induced by trauma (positive cases) were evaluated by primary care physicians and rheumatologists.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 1006 individuals with a mean age of 46.0 (SD, 15.8) years; 751 (74.7%) were women. Musculoskeletal pain in the previous 7 days was reported by 571 individuals (56.75%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 53.8%-60.1%), and 356 cases (35.4%; 95% CI, 32.5%-38.4%) were COPCORD positive. The mean pain intensity in visual analog scale was 6.62 (SD, 2.4). The most common painful joint was the knee (54.7%; 95% CI, 51.1%-59.0%). Two hundred eighty subjects with MSK pain (49.0%) previously sought medical attention, and 375 (65.7%) were under treatment. Functional impairment was reported by 69.8% of the COPCORD-positive subjects. The prevalence of RDs was 21.4% (95% CI, 18.9%-23.8%). The most prevalent disease was osteoarthritis (10.3%; 95% CI, 8.6%-12.4%), followed by regional pain syndromes (5.5%; 95% CI, 4.1%-7.0%), rheumatoid arthritis (1.4%; 95% CI, 0.8%-2.2%), and mechanical low-back pain (1.4%; 95% CI, 0.7%-2.2%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Musculoskeletal pain is an important problem that affects our community. The data provided in this study will be presented to the local authorities to help in the development of prevention strategies.
authors.affiliation: From the *Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Chihuahua; †Rheumatology Department, General Hospital of México "Eduardo Liceaga," Mexico City; and ‡Facultad de Ciencias de la Cultura Física, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico.
authors.forename: Danyella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Del Río Nájera
authors.forename: Susana Aideé
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: González-Chávez
authors.forename: Celia María
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Quiñonez-Flores
authors.forename: Ingris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Peláez-Ballestas
authors.forename: Norma
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hernández-Nájera
authors.forename: César F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Pacheco-Tena
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D059352:Musculoskeletal Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015995:Prevalence; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*