Ethnic preponderance of some important joint diseases

Behcet's Syndrome - Turkish, Mediterranean and Arab, Japanese
               Behcet's syndrome affects both men and women almost equally and manifests with painful mouth and genital ulcers, eye inflammation, arthritis and in severe forms, can involve the heart, brain and lungs.
     



Osteoarthritis - most ethnic groups worldwide
               Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease of persons above 40 years of age. It affects  the joints of the fingers and knees but is most debilitating when in the knees and  hips, causing pain on walking. Osteoarthritis of the hips is reported more among Scandinavians/Europeans and less among Asians.




Gout - Polynesian, Chinese, Southeast Asian, Caucasians
               Gout is a severe, recurrent inflammation of one or more joints, most often in men. It is associated with high blood uric acid levels. It is reported to be related to lifestyle and obesity especially among Caucasians. Among Asians, gout is known to be due to problems in the elimination of uric acid by the kidneys. Uric acid deposits can cause masses to grow over joints and soft tissues in many parts of the body.




 Rheumatoid Arthritis - worldwide but probably more diagnosed among Caucasians

                Rheumatoid arthritis affects more women than men and affects more joints -  shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, knees, ankles and feet and severely restricts most daily activity due to pain and stiffness, and later,  joint deformities. More severe forms can affect the lungs, eyes, heart and blood.

Lupus - Latin Americans, American Blacks, Southeast Asian
                Systemic lupus erythematosus or lupus is a form of arthritis that affects more women than men, and is also systemic, affecting the kidneys, skin, blood and joints simultaneously or appearing in a progression. Severe forms can also affect the brain, lung and heart. Severe disease are reported more among colored people.






Spondyloarthropathies including psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease - Scandinavians, European ethnicity, Chinese
               This is a group of arthritides that affects the spine in younger individuals, causing back stiffness, hip pain and can also be associated with eye disease that can cause blindness in some cases. It can come with inflammation of the bowels causing repeated diarrhea,  inflammation of the skin and with the scaly rash of psoriasis.
             

This list is short and focuses on diseases that can affect many body organs and also cause severe disability due to pain, joint deformity and organ damage. The need to see a rheumatologist is emphasized, seeing that many of these arthritides affect many organs of the body and requires special forms of treatment.


All photos by Google Images