NATURAL HISTORY OF ARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATISM ON THE GILA RIVER INDIAN COMMUNITY

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The development and progression of osteoarthrosis, rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis are being determined by means of clinical, radiographic and serological examinations carried out prospectively at two-yearly intervals among adults of the Gila River Indian Community (Pima Indians) in Arizona, in conjunction with epidemiological studies of diabetes in the same community. The purpose of this investigation is to ascertain the determinants of these diseases in the population, and to identify factors which predispose to or alter the natural history of progression of the disease. Host factors such as age, sex, and various gene markers including HLA and Gm, together with various potential environmental determinants, such as obesity and evidence of exposure to infectious agents, are being investigated prospectively to determine their relationship to the development of these diseases. Longitudinal data have now been collected for 25 years and represent a unique data set for epidemiological studies of arthritis. Recent analyses have examined the prevalence of hip osteoarthritis in the Pima population which is some what greater than in the general U.S. population. Factors relating to the development of osteoarthritis of the hip are being examined.