The prevalence of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis in England and Catalonia from the Roman to the post-medieval periods

Abstract

Objective: Evaluate the prevalence of DISH through time from the Roman to the post-Medieval period in England and Catalonia.

Material: 281 individuals from England and 247 from Catalonia were analyzed.

Methods: Adult individuals with at least three well-preserved lower thoracic vertebral bodies were analyzed. DISH was assessed considering the early stages of development. Diachronic and geographical dietary shifts were investigated using reported light isotope data, archaeological reports and historical documentation.

Results: Males and older individuals showed consistently higher prevalence of DISH, however, only the English sample showed a significant difference between males and females in the prevalence of DISH. No significant difference was found in the prevalence of DISH though time (from Roman to post medieval periods) nor across regions (England and Catalonia).

Conclusion: The development of DISH is probably influenced by a combination of factors including increasing age and sex.

Significance: This is the first exhaustive analysis of DISH in ancient Catalan populations and the first that considers the early stages of DISH.

Limitations: Reduced sample size, particularly in post-medieval samples, as a result of the available excavated samples and the inclusion criteria adopted.

Future research: Include rural, religious and high-status samples in the analysis of DISH. Re-assess the prevalence of DISH in post-medieval populations.

Keywords: Age; DISH; Early medieval; Medieval; Sex.