The role of diet, disease, and physiology in the origin of porotic hyperostosis.

Abstract

Subadult crania from four skeletal populations were examined for the presence of porotic hyperostotic lesions such as cribra orbitalia, osteoporotic pitting, and spongy hyperostosis. The sample of 269 specimens included hunting and gathering (Late Woodland, A.D. 900-1050), transitional (Mississippian Acculturated Late Woodland, A.D. 10.50-11.50), and agricultural (Middle Mississippian, A.D. 11.50-13.50) groups from Dickson Mounds and an agricultural population (A.D. 1490 ± 55) from Eiden in Lorain, Ohio. The results suggest that: the frequency of porotic hyperostosis is significantly higher (p < .01) and more severe in the agricultural populations than in the hunting and gathering group; cribra orbitalia is the initial osseous manifestation of porotic hyperostosis with osteoporotic pitting and spongy hyperostosis occurring secondarily; and that there is a significant (p < . (X) 1) association between porotic hyperostosis and infectious disease. The age of onset of porotic hyperostosis and the relationship to infectious disease suggest an interaction of biological and cultural factors. These findings suggest that the “synergistic” interaction of dietary iron deficiency, the “anemia of infection, ” child physiology, and cultural behavior are instrumental in the etiology of porotic hyperostosis.

Cite this work

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 156 citations exist upstream.