Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33962231›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of paleopathology2021

Gout and 'Podagra' in medieval Cambridge, England.

Jenna M Dittmar, Piers D Mitchell, Peter M Jones, Bram Mulder, Sarah A Inskip, Craig Cessford, John E Robb

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Article in International journal of paleopathology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

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0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Hyperuricaemia and gout in the Pacific.Nature reviews. Rheumatology · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Jenna M DittmarMcDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK. Electronic address: jenna.dittmar@abdn.ac.uk.
Piers D MitchellDepartment of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Peter M JonesKing's College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Bram MulderMcDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Sarah A InskipMcDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Craig CessfordMcDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Cambridge Archaeological Unit, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
John E RobbDepartment of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Funding

Wellcome Trust 2000368/Z/15/ZWellcome Trust 200368/Z/15/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo estimate the prevalence rate of gout and to explore the social factors that contributed to its development in the various sub-populations in medieval Cambridge. MATERIALS: 177 adult individuals from four medieval cemeteries located in and around Cambridge, UK.

methodsLesions were assessed macroscopically and radiographically. Elements with lytic lesions were described and imaged using micro-computed tomography (μCT) to determine their morphology.

resultsGout was identified in 3 % of the population. Individuals buried in the friary had highest prevalence (14 %), with low prevalence rates in the Hospital (3 %) and town parish cemetery (2 %), with no cases in the rural parish cemetery. Gout was more prevalent during the 14th-15th centuries than the 10th-13th centuries.

conclusionThe high prevalence rate of gout in the friary is at least partly explained by the consumption of alcohol and purine-rich diets by the friars and the wealthy townsfolk. Medieval medical texts from Cambridge show that gout (known as podagra) was sometimes treated with medications made from the root of the autumn crocus. This root contains colchicine, which is a medicine that is still used to treat gout today. SIGNIFICANCE: This is one of the first studies to assess the epidemiology of gout in medieval England and suggests that gout varied with social status. LIMITATIONS: Our sample size precludes statistical analysis. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Additional studies that assess the epidemiology of gout in medieval Europe is needed in order to be able to fully contextualize these findings.

Indexed as

Bone DiseasesGoutAdultCemeteriesEnglandHumansX-Ray MicrotomographyCrystal arthropathyDietHallux valgusInflammatory arthritisMicro-computed tomography (μCT)Social status

Identifiers

PMID33962231
PMCPMC8214166

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