Relationships between osteoarthritic changes (osteophytes, porosity, eburnation) based on historical skeletal material

Abstract

Background: Three main diagnostic types of osteoarthritic changes are distinguished in clinical and anthropological literature: osteophytes, porosity, and eburnation. The nature of the relationship between these changes and how lesions progress over time is still unclear.

Aim: The aim of the present study is the analysis of the relationships between osteophytes, porosity, and eburnation based on skeletal material.

Subjects and methods: The analysis employed the skeletal collection from Cedynia (199 individuals) from tenth to fourteenth-century Poland. Marginal osteophytes (OP), porosity (POR), and eburnation (EB) were examined on a shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle.

Results: Osteophytes and porosity occurred independently of each other. Combinations of osteophytes and porosity (OP + POR) and osteophytes, porosity, and eburnation (OP + POR + EB) were rarely observed. Combinations of osteophytes and eburnation (OP + EB) or porosity and eburnation (POR + EB) were not found. There was a significant correlation between osteophytes and porosity in the scapula, proximal end of the ulna and proximal end of the femur. Osteophytes and eburnation were correlated at the distal end of the ulna. Porosity and eburnation were correlated at the distal end of the radius and distal end of the ulna. When all joints were considered together, all the types of osteoarthritic changes were correlated. However, the relationship between osteophytes and eburnation and between porosity and eburnation was only slightly significant. Osteophytes preceded porosity, but there were a few cases where more developed porosity accompanied less developed osteophytes.

Conclusions: The findings indicate that correlations between osteoarthritic changes are weak, albeit statistically significant and further studies of the relationship between changes are necessary.

Keywords:

• Osteophytes
• porosity
• eburnation
• skeletal populations

Acknowledgement

The authors thank the Institute of Anthropology, Adam Mickiewicz University, in Poznań, for providing the possibility to use the data on the skeletal material used in the study.

Disclosure statement

Authors have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organisations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work.

Additional information

Funding

This research is funded indirectly by Institute of Ecology and Bioethics, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University which had no role in the study design, data collection, data synthesis, data interpretation, writing the report, or the decision to submit the final report for publication. This research is funded indirectly by Institute of Anthropology, Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. in Poznań which had a role in sharing of skeletal collection.