Littleton J
Department of Anthropology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 1999 Aug;109(4):465-83. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1096-8644(199908)109:4<465::AID-AJPA4>3.0.CO;2-T.
Skeletal fluorosis is one of a range of conditions causing excessive ossification and joint ankylosis in skeletons. It is rarely considered, however, in differential diagnoses of palaeopathological lesions. This paper considers the identification of skeletal fluorosis in a skeletal sample from the island of Bahrain, Arabian Gulf, dating to ca. 250 BC-AD 250. Approximately 4% of 255 adult skeletons in the sample have hyperostosic lesions resulting in joint ankylosis primarily of the lumbar vertebrae, as well as the major joints. These lesions most frequently occur among males in the 50+ age group. Chemical analysis on a small series of bone and dental samples confirmed the presence of high levels of fluoride, while staining of the teeth is evidence of dental fluorosis. The level of dental fluorosis is comparable with a naturally occurring fluoride level in water of between 1-2 ppm. The prevalence of hyperostosic lesions, however, appears higher than expected, and two possible reasons are suggested: confusion between a diagnosis of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis and skeletal fluorosis on partial or less severely affected skeletons; and the presence of predisposing factors for skeletal fluorosis on the island in the past.
骨骼氟中毒是一系列导致骨骼过度骨化和关节强直的病症之一。然而，在古病理学病变的鉴别诊断中，它很少被考虑。本文探讨了在阿拉伯湾巴林岛一个可追溯至公元前250年至公元250年左右的骨骼样本中骨骼氟中毒的识别情况。该样本中的255具成年骨骼中约4%有骨肥厚病变，主要导致腰椎以及主要关节的关节强直。这些病变最常出现在50岁以上的男性中。对一小系列骨骼和牙齿样本的化学分析证实存在高浓度的氟，而牙齿染色是氟斑牙的证据。氟斑牙的程度与水中自然存在的1 - 2 ppm氟含量相当。然而，骨肥厚病变的患病率似乎高于预期，并提出了两个可能的原因：在部分或受影响较轻的骨骼上，弥漫性特发性骨肥厚和骨骼氟中毒的诊断混淆；以及过去该岛上存在骨骼氟中毒的诱发因素。
