ABSTRACT
This survey which was conducted for a period of 24 months on 4,088 subjects was designed to identify some epidemiologic characteristics of rheumatoid arthritis, gout and SUA levels among Filipinos. Familial aggregation for rheumatoid arthritis and gout was borne out by the survey and that a familial history was found to be 2 to 5 times higher among identified cases when compared with the total population studiedBased on the familial aggregation and the identified cases, no conclusive statements could be made regarding the geographical distribution of the diseases except that when based on the total for all regions, they appear to be more prevalent in Regions I (Manila and Suburbs), IV (Central Luzon) and V (Southern Luzon and Islands). To some degree the geographic distribution of the two diseases differ from one anotherOn the assumption of a representative sample, the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis was found to be 1.345/1,000 (or 0.81 per cent based on total subjects examined) and 1.835/1,000 (or 1.1 per cent based on the total examined) for gout. The observation on the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis very closely approximate the prevalence of 0.92 per cent found in Puerto Rico. Our results further substantiate the low prevalence of RA in the tropical region and a predisposition for the females. On the other hand, gout was found to be predominantly among the males. Rheumatoid arthritis was found to be more prevalent in the age group 15-39 years and gout in the age group 40-60+ yearsAmong the identified cases of RA, 21.2 per cent gave a positive result to the RA test while among the apparently "normal" subjects, the false positive reactions accounted for 6.1 per cent. From the foregoing figures it could be gleamed that the RA test is sensitive but has a low specificityThe means SUA values among the apparently "normal" subjects (3943) were 6.25 mg% for males and 4.61 mg.% for the females. The male excess of 1.64 mg.% when subjected to a "t" gave a "t" value for 146.64 and P<.001. The mean values for males very closely approximate the values obtained by Decker, Healey, and Steuermann (Hawaii). Also, statistically significant differences were seen between apparently "normal" males (6.25 mg.%) and gouty cases (7.19 mg.%) with P<.001, female "normal" subjects (4.6 mg.%) vs. female hypertensives (5.26 mg.%) with P<.02, and male gouty cases (7.19 mg.%) vs. hypertensives (6.41 mg.%) with P<.02. "Normal" male subjects vs. male hypertensives did not reveal a statistical difference. (Summary)
ABSTRACT
18 cases of Chikungunya (or a very closely related virus) infection, a newly observed clinical entity in the Philippines, are presented. Diagnosis was established by serological studies consisting of hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) and complement fixation (CF) tests. (Summary)