Joint disease in children of Asiatic origin

Joint disorders in Asian children are varied due to the diversity of the As ian population and show some ethnic trends. The ethnic diversity, socio-eco nomic and geographic factors in Asia have limited the availability of data from some of the ethnic groups, many of whom live in remote and relatively underdeveloped areas are not subjected to epidemiological surveillance and have little awareness of these diseases and their consequences. Geographic and socio-economic factors also play a significant role in some of the join t diseases peculiar to Asian children. In general, the current available da ta suggests that there are no large differences in the epidemiology and cli nical features between the Western and Asian children. This article reviews the available literature on joint diseases in Asian children (C) 2000 Else vier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.