Considerable variations in the prevalence of rheumatic disorders were found in a nation-wide interview survey of the adult Swedish population. Rheumatic disorders were more prevalent in Northern than in Southern Sweden, except for one South-Eastern area. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteo-arthritis and back disorders followed the same, pattern. Other inflammatory rheumatic diseases than RA showed similar prevalence figures throughout the country. Soft tissue rheumatism was least frequent in the southernmost parts of Sweden, but otherwise equally distributed. Farming and forestry were most frequent in the Northern and in the South-Eastern areas of Sweden but physical strain from work was most frequent only in Northern Sweden. This variation in working conditions coincided with and may contribute to variations in the prevalence of rheumatic disorders in Sweden.
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