DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2015.v03i05.060

Pages: 2096-2099

Rheumatic diseases have become a great burden of modern society causing disability, pain, and social, emotional, and economic problems. It has been noticed that the prevalence of rheumatic diseases varies in different geographical regions. This indicates that epidemiological methods could be crucial tools for further evaluation of possible causes and risk factors for rheumatic diseases. In this study, we estimated the prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Taif city, Saudi Arabia, based on data acquired from survey and clinical assessment. This study was conducted in January 2015, in Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia. The study had two phases. The first phase was a cross-sectional survey, designed to gather the data about prevalence of RA and SLE in first degree alive relatives of the participants. Of total 802 students, 722 completed the survey. The second phase was clinical assessment of patients with possible SLE and/or RA identified in the first phase. Prevalence of SLE was estimated in persons above one year old, while prevalence of RA was estimated in persons older than 18 years. The survey resulted in 16 potential patients affected by SLE and/or RA. Clinical assessment revealed positive diagnosis of RA in 12 patients (0.3%), and SLE in 2 patients (0.038%). RA predominantly affected females, with female-to-male ratio 11:1. Rheumatoid factor was positive in 75% of patients with RA. Remaining 2 patients were diagnosed with JRA and therefore excluded from further analysis. In conclusion the Prevalence of RA in Taif city, Saudi Arabia, was similar to estimated prevalence on a global scale, while the prevalence of SLE was slightly lower than in developed countries. Further epidemiological research is needed to evaluate current data.