Testing the Digital Atlas of Ancient Rare Diseases (DAARD) using a new case of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease from Early Byzantine (500–700 CE) Olympia, Greece
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective
The first case of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD) in Greece is presented. LCPD, a rare disease, is discussed using the Digital Atlas of Ancient Rare Diseases (DAARD), which tests the benefits of the database for diagnosing and contextualizing the new case with 42 archaeological cases of LCPD recorded in the DAARD.
Materials
A 30–40-year-old, probable male individual was found at the archaeological site of Olympia, Greece, dating to 500–700 CE.
Methods
Biological sex, age-at-death and pathological changes were investigated using macroscopic and osteometric methods. The DAARD provided the typical characteristics of LCPD.
Results
Pathological changes in both hip joints without any other related changes in the skeleton corresponded to the skeletal features of LCPD. The DAARD produced 42 cases of LCPD, most of which from Europe, with a preference for male sex and unilateral involvement of the hip joint.
Conclusions
The DAARD aids in diagnosing rare diseases and interpreting new cases in the context of already known studies.
Significance
This study shows that the DAARD has the potential to help researchers move beyond the level of single case studies and create a broader picture of the history of rare diseases.
Limitations
This paper focuses on the benefits of the DAARD in relation to LCPD but not all rare diseases have been included in the database.
Suggestions for further research
More rare diseases from archaeological contexts should be added to the DAARD to create a base for the interpretation of their history and expand our understanding of rare diseases in the past.
期刊介绍:
Paleopathology is the study and application of methods and techniques for investigating diseases and related conditions from skeletal and soft tissue remains. The International Journal of Paleopathology (IJPP) will publish original and significant articles on human and animal (including hominids) disease, based upon the study of physical remains, including osseous, dental, and preserved soft tissues at a range of methodological levels, from direct observation to molecular, chemical, histological and radiographic analysis. Discussion of ways in which these methods can be applied to the reconstruction of health, disease and life histories in the past is central to the discipline, so the journal would also encourage papers covering interpretive and theoretical issues, and those that place the study of disease at the centre of a bioarchaeological or biocultural approach. Papers dealing with historical evidence relating to disease in the past (rather than history of medicine) will also be published. The journal will also accept significant studies that applied previously developed techniques to new materials, setting the research in the context of current debates on past human and animal health.