Prevalence of large-joint osteoarthritis in Asian and Caucasian skeletal populations.

Objective: To determine ethnic variations of large-joint osteoarthritis (OA) in past populations.

Methods: One thousand two hundred and nine adult skeletons, excavated from archaeological sites in Japan, China and France were assessed for OA as defined by the presence of eburnation.

Results: Within Asian skeletal populations, elbow OA and patellofemoral joint OA were more common in hunter-gatherers than in agriculturalists.