Prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis and diagnostic validity of a prediction score, in patients visiting orthropedic clinics in the Madinah region of Saudi Arabia: a retrospective cross-sectional study
Shabir Ahmad Mir,
Mamdooh Noor,
Md Dilshad Manzar,
Bader Alshehri,
Mohammed Alaidarous,
Abdul Aziz Bin Dukhyil,
Saeed Banawas,
Yahya Madkhali,
Sadaf Jahan,
Faizan Z. Kashoo,
Danish Iqbal,
Qamar Zia,
Suliman A. Alsagaby,
Sahar ALDosari
Affiliations
Shabir Ahmad Mir
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Mamdooh Noor
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Md Dilshad Manzar
Department of Nursing, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Bader Alshehri
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Alaidarous
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Abdul Aziz Bin Dukhyil
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Saeed Banawas
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Yahya Madkhali
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Sadaf Jahan
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Faizan Z. Kashoo
Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Danish Iqbal
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Qamar Zia
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Suliman A. Alsagaby
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Sahar ALDosari
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Science, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Introduction In Saudi Arabia, the epidemiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is not well studied and is marked by inconsistencies in clinical diagnosis. Therefore, in this study, we explored the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and diagnostic validity of a prediction score based upon disease markers in orthropedic clinics’ patients in the Madinah region of Saudi Arabia. Method The clinical data for this retrospective cross-sectional study were retrieved from the database registry of orthopedic clinics in selected hospitals of the Medinah province of Saudi Arabia. Sociodemographic features, disease markers and the clinical characteristics were collected for a period of 6 months, from December 1, 2020, to May 31, 2021. The prediction score was generated from the sum of disease markers, coded as dichotomous variables. Results The total sample size of our study was 401. The prevalence of RA in the study subjects (n = 401) was 14.46% (n = 58). Among RA patients, the majority were females (60.3%). Painful joints (69%) and swollen joints (51.7%) were the most common clinical complaints among RA patients. RA patients suffered from arthritis (51.7%) and experienced fatigue (46.6%), weight loss (44.8%), and loss of appetite (41.4%). Diabetes (55.2%) was the most common comorbidity in the RA patients. The sensitivity and specificity of the prediction score at the criterion score of 2.5 were 67.3% and 63.0%, respectively. The area under the curve was 0.69 (95% CI [0.62–0.76]). Conclusion There was a moderately high prevalence of RA in patients visiting the orthropedic clinics of the selected hospitals of Madinah region of Saudi Arabia. The diagnostic validity of the prediction score, though promising, was slightly lower than the acceptable range.
