Rheumatoid arthritis in population samples in Iraq.

A prevalence survey for rheumatoid arthritis was carried out during the summer of 1975 in persons aged 16 years and over in areas of Iraq representative of differences in geography and ethnicity. Definite rheumatoid arthritis was observed in 1% of the 6999 individuals studied, but differences in occurrence rates in relation to various associated characteristics were not detected. It is concluded that present rheumatological services in Iraq have not developed in response to the magnitude of the existing burden. Morning stiffness was reported fairly frequently by individuals without rheumatoid arthritis, but the significance of this observation is not easy to determine. Raynaud's phenomenon was also recorded, but comparative evaluation of the findings is not possible.