The Prevalence of Rheumatoid Arthritis in the South of Jordan

The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in the south of Jordan. The study was carried out between January, 2005 and December, 2008; 2,220 adults aged between 16 and 75 years were evaluated for the presence of rheumatoid arthritis disease according to the American Rheumatism Association 1987 criteria. The results showed that the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis was 0.36% in the general population; the prevalence in males was 0.34% and in females it was 0.39%. In conclusion, the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis is extremely low in the south of Jordan with a slight female predominance. American Rheumatism Association criteria continued to be the most useful criteria for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.