The paleoepidemiology of Sacral Spina Bifida Occulta in population samples from the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt (original) (raw)
Related papers
Spina bifida: A diagnostic dilemma in paleopathology
Clinical Anatomy, 2010
This article provides information regarding the etiology, pathogenesis, and skeletal manifestation of spina bifida or spinal dysraphisms. On the basis of a review of the medical literature, it addresses discrepancies in documentation and interpretation of spina bifida in paleopathology. Furthermore, it offers suggestions for use of universal terminology and highlights the difficulties in the specific diagnosis of dysraphisms in skeletal remains. In addition, the necessity of examining the entire skeleton for abnormalities to distinguish simple delay/failure of fusion of the posterior neural arches from other occult spinal dysraphisms is emphasized, as it is the need for stratification of the sample by age and sex when reporting frequencies of sacral spina bifida occulta.
Spina bifida occulta is the most common congenital malformation localized at the level of the spinal column from the atlas to the sacrum. The most frequent cases of spina bifida appear in the lumbar-sacral region, especially at the level of the sacrum bone. The maternal nutritional status, the exposure to teratogenic factors and the genetic predisposition may act together leading to the appearance of spinal dysraphisms. The osteological material exhumed in 2008 by the Center of European History and Civilization of Iași, from the necropolis localized in the Eastern part of the ex-Princely Court ("Curtea domnească") of 17 th century), sums up to 111 skeletons from 60 inhumation graves. The occult spinal sacral dysraphism in case of the medieval population of Iași appears in 6 cases (5 men with ages between 18 and 60 and one woman with the age between 18-20 years). The percentage of the occult spinal dysraphism is of 6.59% in case of the total number of individuals where we deal with the presence of the sacrum bone, of 7.57% for the male group and of 4% if we refer to the female group.
Spinal dysraphism at the Syrian Neolithic site of Dja’de el-Mughara
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2017
Spina bifida is a neurulation defect that results in an incomplete closing of the backbone, as well as membranes surrounding the spinal cord. Several archaeological cases of spina bifida have been reported, remarkably during the Bronze Age and Classic Era. However, few prehistoric cases have been recovered, with the exception of the important Epipaleolithic Iberomaurusian site of Taforalt (Morocco). This article describes the first case of a spina bifida condition during the Neolithic of Near East, at the Syrian site of Dja-de el-Mughara. Although at the onset of the Syrian civil war, image record has enabled the description of a complete spina bifida case. Two other possible cases have not been confirmed, since it was impossible to reevaluate the osteological material hosted at the field laboratory in Dja-de el-Mughara. However, due to the low incidence of this neural tube disorder (NTD), we argue that it could be associated to a genetic disorder rather than to environmental factors such as arsenic intake or a deficient diet.
Spina Bifida Occulta in Medieval and Postmedieval Times in Eastern Romania
2016
This paper provides bioarchaeological evidence of Spina Bifida Occulta (SBO) in human skeletons discovered in medieval and post-medieval sites of Eastern Romania and evaluates its prevalence and patterns by examining its relationship to age, sex, type of sites (urban, elite and rural), and its morphological patterns. The skeletons found in burial and reburial tombs from five necropolises of the 14–19 centuries, discovered in Eastern Romania, were analysed to determine individuals’ age and sex, pathologies and anomalies. Sacral SBO was identified in 11 subjects, for an overall prevalence of 4%; sacral SBO seems to be more common in endogam groups, as it is assumed to be that of the Princely Court. Apparently, this defect is more frequent in men (9 cases were males), its prevalence decreasing with age (from an overall value of 5.47% in young adults to 2.85% in old ones), but no statistically valid association could be demonstrated between the presence/absence of SBO and sex or age. Mo...
Occult spinal dysraphism is a congenital anomaly with a relatively high incidence, which may be located along the spine, from the atlas to the sacrum; it is frequently met in the lumbo-sacral junction, and sometimes it affects the entire dorsal sacral region. Spina bifida occulta usually occurs in relatively high percentages in a population (2-30% of the cases). Despite extensive research, the causes of the appearance of spina bifida have not been completely understood; it is, probably, a multifactorial anomaly, most cases of spina bifida are considered to have been caused by complex polygenic interactions with environmental factors. The osteological material dug up in 2007 at the Centre of History and European Civilization from Iași, in the cemetery of the "St. Neculai-Ciurchi" Church (XVI-XVIII centuries), has a total of 680 skeletons taken from 230 graves. In the medieval population from Iași, occult sacral spinal dysraphism occurs only in 2 cases (mature males), having a percentage of 1.55% of the total number of sacrums and 3.22% of the number of masculine sacrums. Cervical, thoracic and lumbar interlaminar dehiscence did not occur in reports in the subgroup of male nor female. We have found no case of cervical, thoracic or lumbar interlaminar dehiscence.
Lumbo-sacral malformations and spina bifida occulta in medieval skeletons from Brittany
European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology, 2012
Introduction Compared with the other French regions, the incidence of neural tube defects is raised in Brittany. It can be explained by the Celtic origin of the Britton people, who migrated from Great Britain in the High Middle Ages. Notwithstanding, there are no historical or archeological evidences of the occurrence of these pathological conditions in medieval Brittany. Materials and methods We investigated the incidence of lumbo-sacral malformations on the skeletal remains of 30 individuals excavated from the necropolis of Saint-Urnel (southwest Brittany). Results We found out several anatomical variations among five specimens, three of which had spinal dysraphism involving the sacrum. Conclusion Our results enrich the very few paleopathological data about spinal dysraphism, from the Hippocratic Corpus to the first description of Spina Bifida in sixteenth century. But, their interpretation remains delicate until the same genetic factors are shown in the etiology of both open and closed spinal dysraphism.
Occult spinal dysraphism is a congenital anomaly with a relatively high incidence, which may be located along the spine, from the atlas to the sacrum; it is frequently met in the lumbo-sacral junction, and sometimes it affects the entire dorsal sacral region. Spina bifida occulta usually occurs in relatively high percentages in a population (2-30% of the cases). Despite extensive research, the causes of the appearance of spina bifida have not been completely understood; it is, probably, a multifactorial anomaly, most cases of spina bifida are considered to have been caused by complex polygenic interactions with environmental factors. The osteological material dug up in 2007 at the Centre of History and European Civilization from Iași, in the cemetery of the "St. Neculai-Ciurchi" Church (XVI-XVIII centuries), has a total of 680 skeletons taken from 230 graves. In the medieval population from Iași, occult sacral spinal dysraphism occurs only in 2 cases (mature males), having a percentage of 1.55% of the total number of sacrums and 3.22% of the number of masculine sacrums. Cervical, thoracic and lumbar interlaminar dehiscence did not occur in reports in the subgroup of male nor female. We have found no case of cervical, thoracic or lumbar interlaminar dehiscence.
Confirmation of microevolutionary increase in spina bifida occulta among Swiss birth cohorts
European Spine Journal, 2011
Previous studies on the prevalence of spina bifida occulta have indicated a microevolutionary increase in its frequency and possible population differences in the prevalence of the condition. We studied the frequencies of closed and open sacral canals at each sacral level among two birth cohorts in Switzerland. Transverse CT scans and multiplanar reconstruction images of sacra of 95 males and 96 females born in 1940-1950 and 99 males and 94 females born in 1970-1980 in Switzerland were reviewed. We found that individuals born later have significantly more open sacral arches at all sacral levels compared to those born 30-40 years earlier. When results were related to previously published data on Australian cohorts, the trend was the same, but Swiss in both cohorts were less likely to have an open section than Australians at all locations apart from S2. This study confirmed a microevolutionary trend in the opening of sacral canal among two different generations in Switzerland and demonstrated a population difference in the prevalence of spina bifida occulta.