Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in the five urban regions of Brazil—the Brazilian COPCORD study (BRAZCO)

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Clinical Rheumatology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

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.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Cardiel MH, Burgos-Vargas R (2011) Towards elucidation of the epidemiology of the rheumatic diseases in Mexico. COPCORD studies in the community. J Rheumatol Suppl 86:1–2

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Yelin E, Callahan LF (1995) The economic cost and social and psychological impact of musculoskeletal conditions. National Arthritis Data Work Groups. Arthritis Rheum 38:1351–62

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Azevedo AB, Ferraz MB, Ciconelli RM (2008) Indirect costs of rheumatoid arthritis in Brazil. Value Health 11:869–77

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Pinheiro GRC, Khandker RK, Sato R, Rose A, Piercy J (2013) Impact of rheumatoid arthritis on quality of life, work productivity and resource utilisation: an observational, cross-sectional study in Brazil. Clin Exp Rheumatol 31:334–40

    Google Scholar 

  5. Harkness EF, Macfarlane GJ, Silman AJ, McBeth J (2005) Is musculoskeletal pain more common now than 40 years ago?: Two population-based cross-sectional studies. Rheumatology (Oxford) 44:890–5

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Cardiel MH (2006) First Latin American position paper on the pharmacological treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford) 45(Suppl 2):ii7–ii22

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Darmawan J, Ferraz MB, Muirden KD, Tugwell P (1995) Case study: World Health Organization-International League of Associations for Rheumatology Community-Oriented Programme for the Control of Rheumatic Diseases (WHO-ILAR COPCORD) in Indonesia and Brazil. Int J Technol Assess Health Care 11:700–8

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Senna ER, de Barros AL, Silva EO, Costa IF, Pereira LV, Ciconelli RM et al (2004) Prevalence of rheumatic diseases in Brazil: a study using the COPCORD approach. J Rheumatol 31:594–7

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Pereira AM, Valim V, Zandonade E, Ciconelli RM (2009) Prevalence of musculoskeletal manifestations in the adult Brazilian population: a study using COPCORD questionnaires. Clin Exp Rheumatol 27:42–6

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Bennett K, Cardiel MH, Ferraz MB, Riedemann P, Goldsmith CH, Tugwell P (1997) Community screening for rheumatic disorder: cross cultural adaptation and screening characteristics of the COPCORD core questionnaire in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. The PANLAR-COPCORD Working Group. Pan American League of Associations for Rheumatology. Community Oriented Programme for the Control of Rheumatic Disease. J Rheumatol 24:160–8

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Banco Central do Brasil. Available from: http://www4.bcb.gov.br/pec/taxas/port/ptaxnpesq.asp?id=txcotacao. Accessed Sept 28 2014

  12. Pelaez-Ballestas I, Sanin LH, Moreno-Montoya J, Alvarez-Nemegyei J, Burgos-Vargas R, Garza-Elizondo M et al (2011) Epidemiology of the rheumatic diseases in Mexico. A study of 5 regions based on the COPCORD methodology. J Rheumatol Suppl 86:3–8

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Goycochea-Robles MV, Sanin LH, Moreno-Montoya J, Alvarez-Nemegyei J, Burgos-Vargas R, Garza-Elizondo M et al (2011) Validity of the COPCORD core questionnaire as a classification tool for rheumatic diseases. J Rheumatol Suppl 86:31–5

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Chopra A, The WHO (2012) ILAR COPCORD Latin America: consistent with the world and setting a new perspective. J Clin Rheumatol 18:167–9

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Censo 2010 IBGE. Available from: http://censo2010.ibge.gov.br/en/. Accessed Sept 28 2014

  16. Obregón-Ponce A, Iraheta I, García-Ferrer H, Mejia B, García-Kutzbach A (2012) Prevalence of musculoskeletal diseases in Guatemala, Central America: the COPCORD study of 2 populations. J Clin Rheumatol 18:170–4

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Sandoughi M, Zakeri Z, Banihashemi AT, Davatchi F, Narouie B, Shikhzadeh A et al (2013) Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in southeastern Iran: a WHO-ILAR COPCORD study (stage 1, urban study). Int J Rheum Dis 16:509–17

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Minh Hoa TT, Darmawan J, Chen SL, van Hung N, Thi Nhi C, Ngoc AT (2003) Prevalence of the rheumatic diseases in urban Vietnam: a WHO-ILAR COPCORD study. J Rheumatol 30:2252–6

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Joshi VL, Chopra A (2009) Is there an urban-rural divide? Population surveys of rheumatic musculoskeletal disorders in the Pune region of India using the COPCORD Bhigwan model. J Rheumatol 36:614–22

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Dai SM, Han XH, Zhao DB, Shi YQ, Liu Y, Meng JM (2003) Prevalence of rheumatic symptoms, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and gout in Shanghai, China: a COPCORD study. J Rheumatol 30:2245–51

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Chou CT, Pei L, Chang DM, Lee CF, Schumacher HR, Liang MH (1994) Prevalence of rheumatic diseases in Taiwan: a population study of urban, suburban, rural differences. J Rheumatol 21:302–6

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Veerapen K, Wigley RD, Valkenburg H (2007) Musculoskeletal pain in Malaysia: a COPCORD survey. J Rheumatol 34:207–13

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Rodriguez-Amado J, Pelaez-Ballestas I, Sanin LH, Esquivel-Valerio JA, Burgos-Vargas R, Perez-Barbosa L et al (2011) Epidemiology of rheumatic diseases. A community-based study in urban and rural populations in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. J Rheumatol Suppl 86:9–14

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Haq SA, Darmawan J, Islam MN, Uddin MZ, Das BB, Rahman F et al (2005) Prevalence of rheumatic diseases and associated outcomes in rural and urban communities in Bangladesh: a COPCORD study. J Rheumatol 32:348–53

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Darmawan J, Valkenburg HA, Muirden KD, Wigley RD (1992) Epidemiology of rheumatic diseases in rural and urban populations in Indonesia: a World Health Organisation International League Against Rheumatism COPCORD study, stage I, phase 2. Ann Rheum Dis 51:525–8

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Davatchi F, Jamshidi AR, Banihashemi AT, Gholami J, Forouzanfar MH, Akhlaghi M et al (2008) WHO-ILAR COPCORD study (stage 1, urban study) in Iran. J Rheumatol 35:1384

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Reyes-Llerena GA, Guibert-Toledano M, Penedo-Coello A, Perez-Rodriguez A, Baez-Duenas RM, Charnicharo-Vidal R et al (2009) Community-based study to estimate prevalence and burden of illness of rheumatic diseases in Cuba: a COPCORD study. J Clin Rheumatol 15:51–5

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) (2013) Pesquisa Nacional por amostra de domicílios, um panorama da saúde no Brasil. Brasil, Ministério do planejamento

  29. Zeng QY, Chen R, Xiao ZY, Huang SB, Liu Y, Xu JC et al (2004) Low prevalence of knee and back pain in southeast China; the Shantou COPCORD study. J Rheumatol 31:2439–43

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Davatchi F, Jamshidi AR, Banihashemi AT (2006) WHO-ILAR COPCORD pilot study in Tehran. Iran J Rheumatol 33:1714

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Ministério da Previdência Social. Available from: http://www.mpas.gov.br/. Accessed Sept 28 2014

Download references

Disclosures

None.

Funding statement

This study was supported by the Brazilian Health Ministry - Cooperation Term with Universidade Federal de São Paulo # 136/2011.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro Universitário São Camilo, Rua Sena Madureira Street, 1123, Apartamento 131, Vila Clementino, 04021-051, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Edgard Torres dos Reis-Neto

  2. Grupo Interdepartamental de Economia da Saúde (GRIDES), Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Marcos Bosi Ferraz

  3. Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Mc Master University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    Sérgio Candido Kowalski

  4. Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Geraldo da Rocha Castelar Pinheiro

  5. Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Emilia Inoue Sato

  6. Department of Medicine, Rheumatology Division, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Edgard Torres dos Reis-Neto, Marcos Bosi Ferraz, Sérgio Candido Kowalski, Geraldo da Rocha Castelar Pinheiro & Emilia Inoue Sato

Authors
  1. Edgard Torres dos Reis-Neto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Marcos Bosi Ferraz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sérgio Candido Kowalski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Geraldo da Rocha Castelar Pinheiro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Emilia Inoue Sato
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Edgard Torres dos Reis-Neto.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

dos Reis-Neto, E.T., Ferraz, M.B., Kowalski, S.C. et al. Prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in the five urban regions of Brazil—the Brazilian COPCORD study (BRAZCO). Clin Rheumatol 35, 1217–1223 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-015-2963-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-015-2963-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation