Ethnic differences in risk for pediatric rheumatic illness in a culturally diverse population

To analyze the differences of occurrence of pediatric rheumatic disease among various ethnic groups in a culturally diverse isolated geographic area. A retrospective study of pediatric rheumatic diseases in a multiethnic area during a 6 year period. A group of 922 patients was categorized based on p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of rheumatology 2002-02, Vol.29 (2), p.379-383
Main Authors: KURAHARA, David, TOKUDA, Angela, GRANDINETTI, Andrew, NAJITA, Julie, HO, Carolyn, YAMAMOTO, Kara, VENU REDDY, D, MACPHERSON, Katherine, IWAMURO, Mildred, YAMAGA, Karen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acute Disease
Analysis. Health state
Arthritis, Juvenile - ethnology
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child, Preschool
China - ethnology
Cultural Diversity
Epidemiology
European Continental Ancestry Group
General aspects
Hawaii - epidemiology
Humans
Japan - ethnology
Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic - ethnology
Medical sciences
Philippines - ethnology
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Retrospective Studies
Rheumatic Fever - ethnology
Tropical medicine
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Summary:To analyze the differences of occurrence of pediatric rheumatic disease among various ethnic groups in a culturally diverse isolated geographic area. A retrospective study of pediatric rheumatic diseases in a multiethnic area during a 6 year period. A group of 922 patients was categorized based on predominant ethnicity, and their risk of having acute rheumatic fever (ARF), juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was studied. Odds ratios (OR) were computed for each illness with Caucasians as the reference group. Results indicated that Polynesians were overrepresented among patients with ARF, having elevated OR that were significantly different from Caucasians (22.5-120.7, p < 0.0001). For SLE, the highest OR were obtained for Samoans, Filipinos, and Japanese. In contrast, for JRA, Filipinos and Japanese had OR less than one, and no Samoans were diagnosed with JRA, possibly indicating a protective effect against developing JRA. This unique retrospective study examined the ethnic variations of expression of certain rheumatic diseases in an isolated region. Results reveal that certain ethnic groups are at risk for ARF and SLE, but are protected against JRA. These findings suggest investigating possible immunogenetic similarities and differences in these illnesses.
ISSN:0315-162X
1499-2752