These Old Joints: An archaeological study of the relationship between osteoarthritis and age using an 18th - 19th century Dutch rural population from Middenbeemster

The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between osteoarthritis (OA) and age. Archaeological studies with a similar aim had been conducted before. However, none of these studied the progression of osteoarthritis in relation to advancing age. Understanding the relationship between OA progression and age apart from OA prevalence and age, might show the differences in strength of age as a factor predisposing individuals to develop OA compared to other factors stimulating the degeneration of the joint. Knowledge of the strength of the correlation between osteoarthritis and age is especially useful for it enables discrimination between joints that are under great influence of age and those that show a less clear or no correlation. Those joints exhibiting a strong correlation should therefore preferably be avoided in archaeological studies where osteoarthritis is used as a marker of occupational activity. In order to test the strength of age related osteoarthritis and OA...Show moreThe aim of this study is to assess the relationship between osteoarthritis (OA) and age. Archaeological studies with a similar aim had been conducted before. However, none of these studied the progression of osteoarthritis in relation to advancing age. Understanding the relationship between OA progression and age apart from OA prevalence and age, might show the differences in strength of age as a factor predisposing individuals to develop OA compared to other factors stimulating the degeneration of the joint. Knowledge of the strength of the correlation between osteoarthritis and age is especially useful for it enables discrimination between joints that are under great influence of age and those that show a less clear or no correlation. Those joints exhibiting a strong correlation should therefore preferably be avoided in archaeological studies where osteoarthritis is used as a marker of occupational activity. In order to test the strength of age related osteoarthritis and OA progression, a 18th-19th known age skeletal population from Middenbeemster, Netherlands, was studied an analyzed. All peripheral synovial joints were studied for osteoarthritis and the progression of OA was assessed with help of existing grading methods and a combination of OA identification criteria primarily based on Waldron (2009). The prevalence and progression of OA in relation with advancing age was studied per joint and per sex. Patterns observed were compared with clinical and archaeological studies in order to see if the patterns and results observed in the Middenbeemster sample were similar to or deviated from patterns observed in these clinical and archaeological studies. The outcome of the statistical analysis and the observed patterns showed that a strong correlation between the prevalence and progression of OA in relation to age was observable for the acromio-clavicular joint, sterno-clavicular joint, temporo-mandibular joint and the acetabulo-femoral joint. This trend persisted when studied separately for males and females. The strong correlations between osteoarthritis in these joints and age have been supported by clinical and archaeological studies. However, for the humero-ulnar joint (HUJ), distal radio-ulnar joint (DRUJ), gleno-humeral joint (GHJ), tibio-femoral joint (TFJ) and patello-femoral joint (PFJ) weak correlations for age related osteoarthritis were observed suggesting that other influences than age stimulated the development and progression of OA in these joints. For the remaining humero-radial joint, proximal radio-ulnar joint, radio-carpal joint, ulno-carpal joint and talo-crucal joint no correlations were found between OA and age. These joints can therefore be used to study occupational activity related osteoarthritis in archaeological populations. The HUJ, DRUJ, GHJ, TFJ and PFJ might be used to study occupational activity related OA, despite their weak correlation, for the patterns observed for these joints in the Middenbeemster sample in combination with clinical and archaeological studies suggest a stronger influence of other factors than age predisposing individuals to develop OA at these locations.Show less

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These Old Joints: An archaeological study of the relationship between osteoarthritis and age using an 18th - 19th century Dutch rural population from Middenbeemster