Objective: To evaluate the preliminary classification criteria proposed by the European Spondylarthropathy Study Group (ESSG) in Alaskan Eskimo populations.
Methods: We examined, interviewed, and reviewed the records of 104 Eskimo patients with spondylarthropathy and 75 with other rheumatic disorders, and evaluated them according to the proposed criteria.
Results: We found an overall sensitivity of 88.5% and a specificity of 89.3%, which is similar to the reported values in European populations.
Conclusion: The ESSG criteria performed well in a population very different from that in which they were developed, and deserve further evaluation as a much-needed and useful epidemiologic tool.