title: Rheumatic diseases in Neolithic and Medieval populations of western Switzerland.
abstract: An investigation of three groups from ancient populations (Neolithic, Early Middle Ages, Middle Ages) was performed on 273 adult skeletons. Despite unequal preservation of the remains, a study of a series of large joints and spinal segments permitted some conclusions: rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and osteoarthrosis of large joints (hip, knee, shoulder) were not found. The main findings were: osteoarthrosis in spinal zygapophyseal joints (particularly at cervical level); intervertebral osteochondrosis (particularly at the cervical and lumbar levels); Schmorl's nodes (particularly at the thoracic and lumbar levels); enthesopathic osteophytes (particularly in the spine, iliac crest, patella, and calcaneus). Such deformities seemed more frequent in the Middle Ages than in the Neolithic period.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kramar
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lagier
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Baud
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000266:history*; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000266:history*; D010164:Paleopathology; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000266:history*; D013557:Switzerland