To estimate the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in an Italian general population.
The study was conducted in the years 2002-2003 in Tempio Pausania's health district located on the North Sardinia and involved 30264 subjects aged 18 years or more treated by 29 general practices (GP). The GP was contact first by phone and letter and secondly a Rheumatologist administered a structured interview that included a screening questionnaire for RA. Cases were defined by the 1987 American College of rheumatology criteria adapted to epidemiological surveys. Every cases were examined by Rheumatologist and General practices together. The age and sex distribution of the sample were similar to those of the Italian population from the 2001 census.
Of the 141 subjects who fulfilled the inclusion criteria, there were 113 women and 28 men, with a mean age at diagnosis of 45 years. The prevalence of RA was 0,46% in the general population, 0,73% in women and 0,19% in men.
Our results suggest that the prevalence of RA is comparable to that reported in other Mediterranean countries. Women are more affected than men. Our prevalence is higher than that observed in Chiavari in 1992.