Epidemiological and clinical profile of patients with rheumatoid arthritis in a medical academic hospital in Goiania, Goias, Brazil

Abstract

Objective: to perform an analysis of the main demographic and clinical features of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), followed in outpatient in a Academic Medical Hospital in Goiania, Goias, Brazil. Methodology: This is an epidemiological study, retrospective, a set of patients with rheumatoid arthritis accompanied by a university hospital in the central-western Brazil. We reviewed medical records of 500 patients treated at the ambulatory of rheumatology in the period from 2011 to 2012. Data from medical records were transcribed into a document protocol standardized and validated by a physician rheumatologist.Results: From the 500 patients analyzed, 43% had systemic rheumatic diseases, osteoarticular diseases 36%, spondyloarthritides 10% and 11% other diseases. Of this total, 5% were patients with RA. The relationship between the female/male ratio was of 4:1, the mean age of patients was 50 ± 13.3 years, mean disease duration of 9.7 ± 5,6 years, 16% had a family history of RA, 42% presented radiological alterations at first visit and 69% presented co-morbidities. The main signs and symptoms reported by patients were joint pain (89%), morning stiffness (73%) and joint swelling (73%). The extra-articular manifestations occurred in 21%, rheumatoid factor was positive in 68% of patients and 26% of RA patients were positive for antinuclear autoantibodies. Only 10% of patients underwent physiotherapy treatment and more drug used as treatment of RA was the Methotrexate. Conclusion: This study provided a partial view of the epidemiological profile of the RA patients at a academic medical hospital in Goiania, Goias. There was a small use of diagnostic markers of the disease. Therefore, we propose a feedback to the rheumatology clinic in an attempt to improve the quality and availability of medical information in the records of this university hospital's outpatient at Pontificia Catholic University of Goias.