The social origins of Perthes' disease of the hip.
Four hundred and ninety-two children with Perthes' disease of the hip were identified from the records of the Family Fund which gives financial help to families of disabled children. Their social circumstances were compared with those of other children referred to the Fund. The relative risk of Perthes' disease increased with lower social class, living in a council house, parental unemployment and a larger sibship size. These findings support other evidence that the disease is caused by dietary deficiencies acting in the prenatal or early postnatal period. The Family Fund may be a useful source of information for paediatric epidemiology in Britain.
Hall
A J
AJ
MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit, Southampton, UK.
Barker
D J
DJ
Lawton
D
D
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005270:Femur Head / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000150:complications; D010007:Osteochondritis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012923:Social Class; D014478:Unemployment; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology