Objectives

To highlight conditions that may cause early-onset degenerative joint disease, and to assess the possible impact of such diseases upon everyday life.

Material

Four adults aged under 50 years from a medieval skeletal collection of Prague (Czechia).

Methods

Visual, osteometric, X-ray, and histological examinations, stable isotope analysis of bone collagen.

Results

All four individuals showed multiple symmetrical degenerative changes, affecting the majority of joints of the postcranial skeleton. Associated dysplastic deformities were observed in all individuals, including bilateral hip dysplasia (n = 1), flattening of the femoral condyles (n = 3), and substantial deformation of the elbows (n = 3). The diet of the affected individuals differed from the contemporary population sample.

Conclusions

We propose the diagnosis of a mild form of skeletal dysplasia in these four individuals, with multiple epiphyseal dysplasia or type-II collagenopathy linked to premature osteoarthritis as the most probable causes.

Significance

Combining the skeletal findings with information from the medical literature, this paper defines several characteristic traits which may assist with the diagnosis of skeletal dysplasia in the archaeological record.

Limitations

As no genetic analysis was performed to confirm the possible kinship of the individuals, it is not possible to definitively assess whether the individuals suffered from the same hereditary condition or from different forms of skeletal dysplasia.

Suggestions for further research

Further studies on premature osteoarthritis in archaeological skeletal series are needed to correct the underrepresentation of these mild forms of dysplasia in past populations.

中文翻译：

---

在中世纪早期的波西米亚公墓（捷克共和国布拉格）中多发性早发性多关节骨关节炎。

目标

强调可能导致早发性退行性关节疾病的条件，并评估此类疾病对日常生活的可能影响。

材料

来自布拉格（捷克）中世纪骨骼收藏的四名 50 岁以下的成年人。

方法

目测、骨测量、X 射线和组织学检查，骨胶原的稳定同位素分析。

结果

所有四个人都表现出多个对称的退行性变化，影响了颅后骨骼的大部分关节。在所有个体中均观察到相关的发育不良畸形，包括双侧髋关节发育不良（n = 1）、股骨髁变平（n = 3）和肘部明显变形（n = 3）。受影响个体的饮食与当代人口样本不同。

结论

我们建议在这四个个体中诊断出轻度骨骼发育不良，最可能的原因是与早产骨关节炎相关的多发性骨骺发育不良或 II 型胶原病。

意义

本文将骨骼发现与医学文献信息相结合，定义了几个可能有助于考古记录中骨骼发育不良诊断的特征。

限制

由于没有进行基因分析来确认个体可能的亲属关系，因此无法明确评估个体是否患有相同的遗传性疾病或不同形式的骨骼发育不良。

进一步研究的建议

需要对考古骨骼系列中的过早骨关节炎进行进一步研究，以纠正过去人群中这些轻度发育不良形式的代表性不足。