Arthritic knees to trouble nearly half the baby boomers
Nearly half of all US adults and almost two thirds of the country’s obese citizens will develop painful osteoarthritis of the knee before the age of 85 with a person’s lifetime risk increasing as their weight increases.
A study by the University of North Carolina collected and analysed data of 3,068 men and women 45 years and older during a 13 year period.
In the first examination each person was given a clinical check, which included taking X-ray images of their knees and a measurement of their body mass index (BMI).
They were interviewed a second time two weeks later and the researchers calculated the participant’s BMI at aged 18, based on their self report of height and wage at that age.
Using logical models of statistical analysis the researchers then estimated the lifetime risk of symptomatic osteoarthritis in at least one knee and found the lifetime overall risk to be 44.7%.
There were no significant differences of risk related to sex, race, or education, but obese participants had a 64.5% higher lifetime risk compared to 34.9% for normal weight and 44.1% for those overweight.
People with a history knee injury had a higher risk factor of 56.8%, compared to those without previous knee injury of 42.3%.
Dr Joanne Jordan, the senior study author, said that “these results show how important weight management is for people throughout their lives.
“Simply put, those people who keep their weight within the normal range are much less likely to develop symptomatic knee osteoarthritis as they get older, and are thus much less likely to face the need for major surgical procedures such as knee replacement surgery.”
