The Prevalence and the Determinants of Musculoskeletal Diseases in Emiratis Attending Primary Health Care Clinics in Dubai

Journal Title: Oman Medical Journal - Year 2016, Vol 31, Issue 2

Abstract

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of rheumatic diseases in the Emiratis attending primary health care (PHC) clinics in Dubai. The secondary objective was to study the relationship between age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) and rheumatic diseases in the general population.  Methods: The Prevalence of Rheumatic Diseases and Osteoporosis (PRO) in Dubai study was a cross-sectional study, which randomly enrolled Emiratis’ aged between 18–85 years old who attended one of 13 PHC clinics between 2 January 2009 and 31 December 2009. Demographic and health data for all participants was obtained via a questionnaire. Participants that indicated positive answers had their responses validated by a rheumatologist and underwent a thorough locomotor examination.  Results: The study included 3,985 participants with a mean age of 42.1±15.8 years. The majority (77.4%) were female. Lower back pain was the most prevalent problem in our study population (32.9%). Knee osteoarthritis (OA) was the most common form of arthritis seen in our cohort (25.8%). Overall, the prevalence of inflammatory arthritis was 3.1%. Age and BMI were associated with increased risk of knee OA and lower back pain.  Conclusions: Rheumatic diseases are quite common in Emirati patients attending PHC clinics. Lower back pain and knee OA were the most common musculoskeletal diseases seen in our cohort. There is a need for more population-based studies in the Middle East to have a better understanding of the epidemiology of rheumatic diseases in this region.

Authors and Affiliations

Jamal Al Saleh, Manal EL Sayed, Nahed Monsef, Ebtihal Darwish

Keywords

Related Articles

Assessment of Trained Hand Hygiene Observers Using Parallel Observations

Objectives: To validate hand hygiene (HH) observers following training and determine the concordance between the observers and the Kappa index. Methods: This study was conducted during June 2017. HH observers from 15 hos...

Neonatal Stridor in Familial Congenital Laryngeal Paralysis (Plott Syndrome): A Case Study in an Omani Family

Stridor presenting soon after birth due to bilateral abductor vocal cord paralysis (VCP) is rare. We report a family with bilateral VCP affecting four male members in two generations and hence suggesting X-linked recessi...

Tuberculosis in Gulf Health Council Member States: Opportunities and Challenges Towards TB elimination

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem affecting millions of people globally. In 2016, 10.4 million people developed TB causing 1.7 million deaths. Over 95% of these deaths occurred in low- and middle-income...

Impact of Implementing Grading Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology in Diagnosis of Breast Cancer amongst Sudanese Women

Objectives: This study estimated the merit of employment of Grading Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (GFNAC) in the assessment of breast lumps, compared to conventional Conventional Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (CFNAC)...

Letter in Reply: Pediatric Crohn’s Disease in Bahrain

e thank the author for his interest in our manuscript and his valuable comments. We agree that the rate of extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs) in our cohort is low (8%) compared to that reported worldwide.

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP164405
  • DOI 10.5001/omj.2016.23
  • Views 67
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

Jamal Al Saleh, Manal EL Sayed, Nahed Monsef, Ebtihal Darwish (2016). The Prevalence and the Determinants of Musculoskeletal Diseases in Emiratis Attending Primary Health Care Clinics in Dubai. Oman Medical Journal, 31(2), 117-123. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-164405