[Prevalence of osteoarthrosis of the hip and other joints in Japanese population (author's transl)].

A population study on osteoarthrosis (OA) was made in Iwata district of Kamitonda Wakayama. In the present survey, 1335 inhabitants aged 30 years and over were surveyed from August 1972 to May 1974. The completion rate was 69.1%. The examinations consisted of measurements of blood pressure, body height and weight, blood and urine test and radiographs of hand, cervical spine and pelvis. Osteoarthrotic changes of wrist and finger joint, cervical spine and hip joint were detected and assessed according to Kellgren and Lawrence's criteria by two observers respectively. The results obtained were as follows. 1) The prevalence of OA of the hip joint in this population sample of 737 persons was 0.94%. 2) Primary OA of hip joint was found in 0.27% of the same sample. 3) Compared with Caucasians, the incidence of OA of hip joint was low and similar to that of the Chinese in Hong Kong. 5) The incidnece of radiological osteoarthrosis of wrist, finger joints and cervical spine was comparable in the British studied by Kellgren and Lawrence. 6) The incidence of OA of the first carpometacarpal joint was very low in Japanese regardless the sex.