A study of arthritis in Papua New Guinea

A study was undertaken of 182 Melanesian patients with arthritis who were admitted to three major hospitals in Papua New Guinea between 1977 and 1982. There were 118 male and 64 female subjects, whose mean ages were 29 years and 25 years respectively. A diagnosis was made in 101 cases (55.5%) but in 81 cases, because assessment and management had been inadequate, a diagnosis could not be made. The commonest cause was infectious arthritis (44%), followed by rheumatoid arthritis (14%), gout (8%), and reactive arthritis (8%). In the 44 subjects with infectious arthritis, gonorrhea was the cause in 25 cases (57%) and in a further six cases (14%) it was attributed to Ross River virus infection. In five cases, arthritis was believed to be caused by Wuchereria bancrofti infection. In several cases, chronic arthritis was present in association with ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis, systemic lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, or systemic sclerosis.