Background/Purpose: In western countries, hip osteoarthritis
(OA) is the third osteoarthritic location in terms
of prevalence, with a ratio
hip/knee OA of 1:2 to 1:3. However,
in Asian/African countries,
this ratio is much lower, of 1:27 in Algeria and 1:40 in China. A comparative study between American and Chinese hips in elderly women found
more impingement and asphericity
in hips of white women. We conducted this
study to find out morphometric differences between Algerian and American hips
that may explain such differences
in hip OA prevalence.


Methods:   A morphometric study was performed on 200 hips of 100 Algerian healthy female subjects, aged ³ 60 years and compared with values of 200
American female hips of the
Study of Osteoporotic
Fractures (SOF). Were mesured
and compared the following dysplasia and impingement parameters: lateral center-edge angle, impingement angle, acetabular slope, femoral head-to-femoral neck ratio and crossover sign. Comparisons were made using t tests for continuous variables and z tests for proportions. Inta- and
inter-observer intraclass correlation
for Algerian measures were calculated.


Results:   The intra-
and inter-observer intraclass correlation
were good to excellent (0.91 to 0.97 and 0.79 to
0.89, respectively). Different
values are exposed on table 1.

Conclusion:   Compared with American women > 60 years, Algerian women have distinct differences
in their morphometric
values, with lower mean impingement angles and more
important Lateral center-edge
angles. These data suggest
a more common asphericity
and impingement in Algerians,
which theoritically predisposes to more hip OA lesions.
We think that this abnormality
is largely offset by the almost total lack of acetabular retroversion in Algerians (only 3% in Algerians VS 81% in Americans), which may play
a protective role against
the anterior femoroacetabular
impingement.