Osteopenia of the pelvis associated with Mseleni joint disease. Radiological aspects

Mseleni joint disease, an endemic form of osteoarthritis (OA), is associated with osteopenia (OP). In a detailed investigation of the disorder, the degree of OP was assessed in 593 radiographs of the pelvis which were taken during surveys of four populations: rural blacks from Mseleni, rural blacks from Manguzi (a similar population to Mseleni), a black control group of rural Tswanas and a white control group from Johannesburg. Only females were included because the number of males in the rural populations was too small. The radiographic trabecular pattern was assessed at four sites: sacrum, ilium, pubis and ischium. Four grades were used: O = normal bone, 1 = minimal OP, 2 = definite OP, 3 = severe OP. The sum of the grades at the four sites made up the OP score for the individual. The OP scores increased with age in all groups, the age-specific mean OP scores did not differ in the non-OA subgroups of all four populations, and subgroups with OA had significantly higher age-specific mean OP scores than those without OA.