Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in Nairobi: results Of a phase1, Stage 1 COPCORD study

Abstract

Background: Musculoskeletal pain is common and a cause of disability. The Community oriented program for the control of rheumatic diseases (COPCORD) methodology was established to estimate the burden of musculoskeletal diseases, especially in developing countries. The prevalence of musculoskeletal pain has been reported to range from 4% to 26.3%. Planning: Planning of a rheumatology service in a country requires data on the prevalence of musculoskeletal diseases. This are results of phase 1 of the stage 1 COPCORD study. Objective: To determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in Nairobi. Design: This was a cross-sectional community based survey carried out in the Nairobi province. Setting: Randomly selected households from the 161 sub-locations of Nairobi. Subjects: Household occupants aged 15 years and older. Main outcome measure: Study participants were interviewed using the COPCORD stage 1, phase 1 questionnaire. Demographic variables, presence of body pains and joint aches were captured. Results: A total of 3384 participants were recruited. Their baseline profile was as follows; mean age of 33.5 years (range 15-90 years), female to male ratio of 1.9:1; 98% non-vegetarians and 3.6% smokers. Trauma was reported in 1.9%. Four hundred and six persons had experienced musculoskeletal pain within 7 days of the interview with a point prevalence of 12% (7.8% had joint pains alone, 3.7% had body aches alone and 1.5% had both body aches and joint pains). The mean age of persons with joint pains was 49 years with a female to male ratio of 2.5:1 Conclusion: Musculoskeletal pain was common with a point prevalence of 12%