General Medicine

» Elaine Moore - sard and aboriginal peoples

What I've found is that there was no evidence to suggest that systemic rheumatic diseases existed in Aborigines before or during the early stages of white settlement. Early on, though, osteoarthritis was common and probably related to the hunter gatherer lifestyle.
Since white settlement in the area, high frequency rates of rheumatic fever, SLE and gouty arthritis have occurred. Several studies have attempted to determine the reasons, which theoretically include:
limited access to healthcare services, low socioeconomic standing, poor diet, stress including the stress of racism, changing phenotype with HLA susceptibility, contaminated water, overcrowding.
The Social Justice Report by the Aboriginal & Torrest Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, www.humanrights.gov.au/social_justice/sjreport05/chap2.html lists some of the reasons for health disparities and the improvements since 1970.

What I haven't found but wonder about is the link between hepatitis B (increased in Aborigines) or the vaccination programs for it and autoimmune disease prevalence. That would be an interesting study or line of research.