RHEUMATISM

Evening Star, Issue 22891, 24 February 1938, Page 19

RHEUMATISM

ITS WIDESPREAD PREVALENCE HEW ZEALAND AND ENGLAND CONTRASTED [Special to the ' Star.’] WELLINGTON, February 24. The recently-cabled account of a prominent English medical authority's somewhat sensational declaration regarding the prevalence of rheumatism in Britain, contained a suggestion that there is almost as much rheumatism per 1,000 in Australia as in Great Britain. The suggestion was that climate is not a controlling factor in disease. Inquiries in medical circles partly corroborate the British view as to the widespread nature of this trouble in the community, but it is not believed that rheumatism takes so heavy a toll in New Zealand as in the older country, where the standard of life is not generally so high as in New Zealand. That rheumatism is regarded, however, as a formidable disease in the Dominion is shown by the fact that a few years ago the Department of Health made an investigation into the occurrence of rheumatic fever in Auckland, and also the rheumatic conditions among Auckland school children. This made clear the vital importance of watching the matter in children, for this report stated ; “ Acute rheumatism and other rheumatic affections begin early in life—under five to six years; the commonest ages of onset of chorea (trembling) are seven and eight years, 'when the strain of school life may begin to tell.” Twenty elementary schools were brought within the inquiry, and out of 8,428 children examined, 225 showed some form of rheumatic manifestation —heart disease, joint pains, history of acute rheumatism, chorea, etc., It was found that the hereditary nature of the complaint was marked, this being the case in over 62 per cent, of the affected children. An important warning given in this report was that the number of organic heart cases who had merely a history of pains, showed the importance of not neglecting “ growing pains.” ' As for the effect of New Zealand living conditions on the disease, the reports were not particularly conclusive. It was pointed out that the moving habits of the people make housing a different problem from that in England. Forty per cent, of the patients were still in the house where they had their first attack, and 10 per cent, were described by the school nurse visiting the home as being damp. 'J’here was a higher incidence of rheumatic fever in cold and wet weather, the lowest point being reached in the summer months. No new preventive factor emerged from the Auckland study of rheumatism, though freedom from dampness and the importance of sunlight were indicated. It was also suggested that consideration of nervous symptoms .in children should lead to the all-important early diagnosis of the trouble if it was present. English statistics show a prevalence of rheumatism among school children to the extent of 3.6 per cent., but the Auckland inquiry was rather more reassuring with its proportion of 2.7 per cent, among the 8,428 children examined.