Assessment of nonarticular tenderness of children in different ethnic groups

Objectives: The purpose of the study is to examine the possible contribution of ethnicity to variation in nonarticular tenderness in children from three ethnic groups. Methods: Four hundred and fifty-seven children, of whom 338 were Israeli Jews, 65 were Bedouin Arabs and the remaining of 54 were Ethiopian Jews, were examined. In all children, a count of 18 tender points [TP] was conducted by thumb palpation. Tenderness of 9 of the TP sites as well as 4 control point sites was further assessed with a Chatillon dolorimeter. Results: The mean point count of Israeli children, 1.3, was significantly lower [P < 0.0001] than that of the Bedouins, 3.1, and that of the Ethiopians, 4.5 Mean values of tenderness thresholds at 9 TP sites were 4.3 kg, 4.0 kg, and 3.3 kg, respectively [P < 0.001]. Mean the three ethnic groups. A chi-squared test was used to compare the male:female ratio among the groups.