Musculoskeletal disorders have been identified as the main cause of chronic pain and incapacity all over the world. Medical students require contact with the most commonly observed diseases in daily clinical practice in order to minimize the difficulties they might face when handling these conditions as new professionals. The aim was to determine the prevalence of rheumatic diseases among patients seen at the Rheumatology Clinic of the Pará State University Center (CESUPA). A retrospective study was performed through analysis of the medical records of patients seen between October 2013 and April 2014. The data for 255 patients were included, 223 (87.5%) of whom were female, and aged 47.69 ± 15.99 years. Of the 344 diseases diagnosed, the most prevalent was osteoarthritis (23.54%), followed by rheumatoid arthritis (20.05%), collagen disease (17.44%) and soft-tissue rheumatism (15.69%). It is concluded that the profile of diseases with which graduates have had most contact is partially compatible with the profile of the most common musculoskeletal disorders. However, there is concern regarding the low frequency of conditions such as gout, cervicalgia and low back pain, meaning the institution must optimize opportunities of contact with such patients.
Medical Education; Rheumatology; Medical Schools