[Rheumatoid polyarthritis in Madagascar (author's transl)]

Report of 11 cases of rheumatoid arthritis observed in Malagasy. Frequently, a single joint is concerned at the on-set period and this may raise some questions to differetiate rheumatic fever, gout and osteo-articular tuberculosis, as these three diseases are of high and almost equivalent frequency in the country. Clinical, biological and radiological features are the same as observed in Europe. Evolution is often severe as a consequence of requently delayed diagnosis and difficulties encountered in treatment of out-patients.