AN EPIDEMIOLOGIC-STUDY OF RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS IN A NORTHERN ONTARIO CLINICAL-PRACTICE - THE ROLE OF ETHNICITY

This study was designed to investigate differences between cultural gr oupings in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The sample was made up of 235 in dividuals suffering from RA from four groupings: Canadian aboriginals, Finnish Canadians, Italian Canadians and other caucasian Canadians. T he study was a retrospective chart analysis (non-randomly selected) de signed to compare ethnic groupings on the following dimensions: demogr aphic factors, clinical manifestations of RA, laboratory results, and drug therapy response. Results of the study support to some extent fin dings from previous research. Specifically, the following was found. T he study showed a female to male predominance in sufferers of RA in al l but one ethnic group. Canadian aboriginals tended to contract the di sease much earlier in life than other ethnic groups. More Canadian abo riginals reported a family history of RA than other groupings. Only Ca nadian aboriginals and caucasian Canadians showed involvement of the C -1-C-2 joint with subluxation. Italian Canadians tended to have a high er mean haemoglobin than other groupings, while Canadian aboriginals t ended to have a higher mean platelet count than other groupings, and a n elevated anti-nuclear antibody count. While most of the drugs used t o treat RA produced no significantly distinct reactions, the Italian a nd Canadian caucasian groups had the highest percentage of subjects wi th reactive dermatitis.