Arthritis and Related Affections: Clinic, Pathology, and Treatment

The records of the National Health Examination Sur- features of specimens of articular tissues, and these vey in 1984 indicate that about 32% of adults in the findings have been incorporated into the present work. United States suffered from musculoskeletal affec- I am also very grateful to Prof. Dr. Waldemar Hort, tions. The National Arthritis Data Workshop reported Director Emeritus at the Institute of Pathology at the in 1985 that about 35 millions of Americans had ar- University of Dusseldorf, and to Prof. Dr. Joseph thritis or related conditions. Wagenhaeuser [1700] sim- Thurner, Director of the Institute of Pathology at the ilarly reported in 1969 that 30% of the central Landeskrankenanstalten in Salzburg, both of whom European adult population presented changes of the provided me with instructive illustrations and his- peripheral joints and vertebral spine. Arthritic symp- topathological tissue sections. A number of the his- toms causing incapacity in a significant percentage of topathological illustrations were published previously the population were reported in the United Kingdom in my volume entitled Histodiagnosis and Clinical Correlation of Rheumatoid and Other Synovitis and Sweden in 1984. (Thieme, Stuttgart, and Lippincott, Philadelphia, All relevant statistics emphasize the high incidence and disabling effects of arthritis of various types in all 1978). Figures 9 and 206 were published previously by countries. In view of the socioeconomic impact of the F. Huth, A. Soren, and W.