[Rheumatoid arthritis among the rural population of southern Bulgaria (transitory morbidity established using the Rome and New York diagnostic criteria)].

Examinations of 5021 subjects (2779 females and 2242 males) were carried out with a view to rheumatoid arthritis. En masse examinations of the population over the age of 20 were carried out in eight villages of South Bulgaria. Making use of the Roman diagnostic criteria, rheumatoid arthritis--probable form, was found in 1.47 per cent of the males and 1.40 per cent of the females (mean for both sexes-1.43%), confirmed form (including the classical) in 0.80 per cent of the males and 1.12 per cent of the females (a total of 0.98% for both sexes). With two positive New York diagnostic criteria are 1.12 per cent of the males and 1.30 per cent of the females (a total of 1.21% for both sexes). With three and four positive New York criteria are 0.45 per cent of the males and 0.76 per cent of the females (a total of 0.62% for both sexes). Only 60 per cent of the subjects with confirmed (including the classical) rheumatoid arthritis are with three or four New York diagnostic criteria. The Roman diagnostic criteria define sometimes subjects with polyarthritis as patients with rheumatoid arthritis, whereas New York criteria fail to detect the cases with rheumatoid arthritis with asymmetric joint involvement.