Estimate the prevalence of musculoskeletal manifestations and related disabilities of an urban population living at high altitude in Juliaca, Puno, Peru, using the Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Diseases (COPCORD) questionnaire and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) disability index.
A cross-sectional study was performed in a sample of 1095 people. In each interview, the COPCORD methodology and the HAQ were applied. The city was divided into 8 sectors.
In all, 614 (56.1%) women were evaluated; 44% were from the Quechua community and 5.1% were Aymara. Before the final 7 days of the study, 132 people (12.05%; 95% CI 9.99-14.11) reported musculoskeletal pain. During the final 7 days of the study, 347 people (31.69%; 95% CI 28.36-35.02) who were predominately women (218; 35.5%; 95% CI 30.8-40.2) reported musculoskeletal pain. The most frequent rheumatic diseases were rheumatoid arthritis (1.27%), gout (0.64%), hand osteoarthritis (OA) (2.83%), knee OA (1.55%), hip OA (0.37%), fibromyalgia (1.09%), and soft tissue rheumatism (8.86%). The HAQ showed an incremental increase proportional to age. The HAQ average for the population was 0.18 (±0.36). Ten people (5.71%) of 175 with rheumatic disease received the services of a shaman.
It is the first COPCORD study in an urban native population living at high altitude in Peru. The population affected by chronic rheumatic disease preferred professional rather than traditional care; this population had access to limited medical services. Impaired functional capacity measured by HAQ was associated with advanced age.