title: Paleopathologic evidence for the evolution of rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: A human skeleton recovered from a Sicilian archaeological site and dating from the Hellenistic period (330-210 B.C.) presents a pathological pattern suggesting a transition between ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis, providing evidence in support of the hypothesis that rheumatoid arthritis may have recently evolved out of ankylosing spondylitis.
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000266:history* / Q000473:pathology; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000473:pathology; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010164:Paleopathology; D012802:Sicily; D013131:Spine / Q000473:pathology; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000266:history* / Q000473:pathology