Incidence of osteoarthrosis of the hip in Jordan

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to verify a long - standing chinical observation that osteoarthrosis of the hip is extremely rare in Jordan. Examination of the. hips on radiographs from barium enemas and intravenous pyelographies of 5,499 patients revealed an overall incidence of osteoarthrosis of 0.43 per cent in people above 40. The incidence rose from 0.16 per cent in people below 50 to values around two percent in people above 80. The incidence of the primary variety was 0.1 percent and the secondary variety was 0.32 percent. It was concluded that osteoarthrosis of the hip, especially the primary variety, is extremely rare in Jordan. The habits of squatting and sitting in this country, which put the hips in extremes of position, conceivably, sustain the health of the cartilage by exposing a wider area to daily use. The incidence of roentgenographic evidence of osteoarthrosis of the hip was studied in the Western countries in random samples of the population[1-6]. The diagnostic criteria used in these epidemiologic studies were not uniform and consequently, the incidence varied greatly [Table I]. Where as Kellgren[4] and Hermodsson[3] found that the incidence, as judged solely by the presence of osteophytic changes, was as high as 20 and 30 percent, Danielsson[2] found that the incidence of primary osteoarthrosis, as judged by structural and / or joint space changes, was only 3.4 percent. In a previous study, Danielsson[1] found that only 1.6 percent of the population above 55 sought medical advice for primary osteoarthrosis of the hip. The difference in the results of both Danielsson's studies was related to the fact that the symptoms of osteoarthrosis of the hip are not always severe and that consequently medical advice is not always sought. On the other hand,Weintraub et al[6], using similar criteria as Danielsson found an incidence of 53.14 percent. When using osteophytic changes as criterion, they found the incidence to be 27.7 percent. of particular interest is the study of Solomon[7], where a highly significant difference in the incidence was found between the Caucasians and the Africans in Johannesburg. He related the low incidence in the Africans to the squatting habit which was common between them. It is a long-standing clinical observation that osteoarthrosis of the hip is rarely seen in this country. The purpose of this study is to verify this clinical observation and to find out the incidence of osteoarthrosis of the hip in Jordan