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Evaluation of the European Spondylarthropathy Study Group preliminary classification criteria in Alaskan Eskimo
G S Boyer1, D W Templin, W P Goring
1Alaska Area Native Health Service, Anchorage.
Objective:
To evaluate the preliminary classification criteria proposed by the European Spondylarthropathy Study Group (ESSG) in Alaskan Eskimo populations.
Methods:
We examined, interviewed, and reviewed the records of 104 Eskimo patients with spondylarthropathy and 75 with other rheumatic disorders, and evaluated them according to the proposed criteria.
Results:
We found an overall sensitivity of 88.5% and a specificity of 89.3%, which is similar to the reported values in European populations.
Conclusion:
The ESSG criteria performed well in a population very different from that in which they were developed, and deserve further evaluation as a much-needed and useful epidemiologic tool.