Abstract:Objective To explored the main causes and diseases of limb deformity in high altitude areas through the epidemiological investigation of limb deformity and disability in Litang County,and to provide data support for formulating practical prevention and control strategies. Methods From May to December 2021, the basic information of the respondents with various kinds of limb disabilities in Litang County were collected randomly by means of personal interview, questionnaire survey and on-site physical examination in the processing of 7 rounds of diagnosis and treatment, 1 free clinic and 1 screening.The data related to limb deformity and the age, gender, height, weight, education level, occupation, onset process and treatment process of each participates were recorded and summarized. Results A total of 530 cases were examined and recorded,among them, there were 364 participants with physical disabilities,including 141 males, 223 women; the average age is 54.2 years(3-90 years).There were 363 Tibetan people and 1 Han person. As for Career,there are 357 participants in agriculture and 7 participants in non-agriculture.According to the cause statistics, 253 cases of osteoarthritis(69.51%), including 201 cases of knee osteoarthritis(79.45%), the 50-59 age group was the most(34.83%), followed by the 60-69 age group(28.86%); 45 cases (12.36%) were limb deformity secondary to nervous system disorders; 29 cases were congenital limb deformities(7.97%); 22 cases (6.04%) were osteoarthritis caused by metabolic osteopathy; 15 cases (4.12%) suffered from limb deformity due to accidental injury. Conclusion Limb deformity in Litang County is mainly caused by osteoarthritis, sequelae of nervous system disorders and congenital limb deformities, which may be related to the cold and anoxic environment in high altitude areas, the working style of Tibetan herdsmen and the limited local medical conditions.