Dramatic increase in osteoarthritis worldwide

Dramatic increase in osteoarthritis worldwide

For people over the age of 70, joint wear is already the seventh most common cause of chronic disease.
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Obesity is likely to be the main risk factor that can be influenced, according to a study published in the “Lancet Rheumatology”. As part of the publication series on the development, spread and importance of various diseases for the world population (Global Burden of Disease; GBD), the international study team has analyzed and now published the information from a total of 204 countries on the subject of osteoarthritis. For people over 70 years of age, joint wear is already the seventh most common cause of constant disease burden.

Increase of 132.2 percent

“Around 595 million people worldwide suffered from osteoarthritis in 2020, which was 7.6 percent of the world population and represented an increase of 132.2 percent compared to 1990 (In 1990 the proportion of those affected was 4.8 percent of the population; note.). Compared to 2020, the number of cases by 2050 is expected to increase by 74.9 percent for osteoarthritis of the knee, by 48.6 percent for diseases of the finger joints, by 78.6 percent for osteoarthritis of the hip and by 95.1 percent for other forms of the disease “, determined the team of authors under Jamie Steinmetz (Institute for Health Statistics in Seattle, Washington State). In 1990, for every 100,000 people, 233 years of life were “lost” due to disability as a result of osteoarthritis diseases, in 2020 it was already 250 years per 100,000 (years lived with disability; YLD).

The incidence of the diseases vary between world regions. Age-standardised, at least more than 5.5 percent of people in all regions of the world suffer from it. The number of people affected depends heavily on the age group: in 2020, 14.8 percent of people over the age of 30 worldwide had osteoarthritis, and among workers between 30 and 60 the figure was 3.5 percent.

Osteoarthritis of the knee most common

Arthrosis of the knee joint is the most common, with a share of all forms of osteoarthritis between around 32 percent in Central Asia and around 66 percent in East Asia. “Hip osteoarthritis contributed least to the prevalence of these diseases (…), the authors of the study wrote (frequency between 3.4 percent in East Asia and 9.5 percent in North America). Overall, women are more frequently affected by joint wear than men.

Avoid being overweight

Age and gender cannot be influenced. Apparently, there is only one avoidable risk factor for the increase in diseases with a high disease burden, primarily because of the mostly chronic pain: overweight or obesity. “A high body mass index (BMI) was the only identifiable risk factor with a participation (…) of 20.4 percent (of the total burden of osteoarthritis; note) in 2020,” says the “Lancet Rheumatology “. The graphs show in particular the USA, Great Britain, Argentina, Russia, Japan and Australia as the most polluted countries. Central Europe is somewhat less affected, African countries and countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam least affected.

Almost 700,000 Austrians suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee joint

According to the data, almost 700,000 people in Austria have osteoarthritis of the knee. The frequency roughly corresponds to that in Western Europe. Around 125,000 people suffer from osteoarthritis of the hip. Here, too, Austria is within the Western European average.

In any case, the development with a further expected increase in these diseases represents a major challenge. The study authors: “The need for care services for patients due to osteoarthritis, including artificial joint replacement, which is highly effective in the late stages of knee and hip osteoarthritis, will increase in all regions of the world. However, this could also lead to an increase in the imbalance in the care of those affected if states can no longer afford it.”

Source: Nachrichten

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