25
lar disease was probably of lower incidence in the
Marshallese. There were two low readingsin the
exposed group, onein a 63-year-old womanwith
abdominal carcinosis and ascites of ovarian origin
forms of heart disease. One evidentcase of inactive
marked hypertensive and arteriosclerotic cardio-
was normal.
and the otherin an 81-year-old man (#46) with
vascular disease.
4. Veins. There was nearly a total absence of
peripheral venous disease — thrombophlebitis,
phlebothrombosis, varicose veins, or hemorrhoids —
in both men and women. Only one individual
showedvaricose veins in the lower legs, in minimal
degree.
5. Other Cardiac Conditions. No patients were
observed with luetic, metabolic, or nutritional
Table 17
Incidence of Individuals With X-Ray Evidence
of Osteoarthritis in Rongelap, by Age and Sex
(Only those rated as 2+ or higherare included)
Persons with 2+ osteoarthritis
No. in
Age, yr
age group
Number
To
Males
0- 9
10-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
>60
Total
28
23
17
9
16
8
5
0
0
0
2
1
5
4
106
12
Total
23
17
16
12
3
6
11
0
0
1
0
0
4
8
88
13
0-9
;
Total
51
40
33
21
19
14
16
194
0
OPHTHALMOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS
Table 16 shows the major ophthalmological
findings. No major differences were found be-
tween the exposed and the unexposed groupsexcept, as has been notedin the past, for a slightly
greater incidenceof pterygii, pingueculae, corneal
scars, and pigmentation in the exposed group. As
a whole both groups showed vision and accommodation levels above the average in the United
States. The absence of glaucoma wasalso notable.
The incidence ofretinal arteriosclerosis, squints,
and congenital diseases was very low. No cases of
basal cell carcinomaof the eyelids or ofretinitis
pigmentosa were seen.
The degree of changes in accommodation,visual acuity, arcus senilis, and retinal arteriosclerosis
have been plotted against age. The plots show no
obvious differences between the exposed and un-
Slit-lamp examinationsof the lens showed no
opacities in the exposed Marshallese resembling
those that had been noted in the irradiated Japanese.
ARTHRITIS SURVEY
1. Osteoarthritis
The incidence of osteoarthritis, as indicated by
the hand and wrist x-ray survey, is shown,by age
and sex, in Table 17. The small numberofindi-
viduals in the susceptible age groups precludes an
accurate estimation of the prevalence; however,it
Males Plus Females
10-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
- 50-39
>60
involvement and moderate cardiac enlargement.
He was symptom-free and his electrocardiogram
exposed populations. (See Figures 19 to 22 and
further discussion in the section on aging.)
Females
0- 9
10-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
>60
rheumatic heart disease occurred in a boy of 14
years { #76) with typical signs of mitral valvular
0
0
1
2
1
9
12
0
3.0
9.5
5.3
64.3
75.0
25
12.9
does not appearto be grossly different from that
found in the United States white population
studied by Dr. Alice Waterhouse and cited by
Blumbergetal.* In accordance with generalclinical experience, there was no close correlation be‘tween x-ray findings and clinical symptoms of
arthritis, i.e., subjects with quite advancedosteoarthritis as determined by x-ray often had no complaints referable to their joints. —