Osteoarthritis of the Hip and Other Joints in Southern Chinese in Hong Kong

A random study of the finger joints, hips, and knees of 500 hospitalized Hong Kong southern Chinese older than fifty-four years, revealed increased hip-joint mobility when compared with Caucasians. The incidence of roentgenographic evidence of moderate and severe osteoarthritis of the distal interphalangeal joints was comparable in the British studied by Kellgren and Lawrence. The Chinese with osteoarthritis of the finger joints had a much higher incidence of the disease in other joints than those whose finger joints were not involved. Reasons for the low incidence of hip osteoarthritis in the Chinese as compared with Caucasians are discussed.