Osteoarthritis, associated disability rising over 130pc globally among women

The global number of cases of osteoarthritis, as well as the disability associated with the condition, have risen by more than 130 per cent over the past three decades among women who have gone through menopause, according to a study. 

Deterioration and damage of joint cartilage lead to osteoarthritis. It is followed by bony remodelling, joint dysfunction, and chronic pain. In 2020 alone, an estimated 595 million people worldwide were living with the condition, comprising nearly 8 per cent of the world’s population, with postmenopausal women at heightened risk.

In 2021 there were 14,258,581 new cases of osteoarthritis; 278,568,950 existing cases; and 99,447,16 years of healthy life lost (DALYs), representing increases of 133 per cent, 140 per cent, and 142 per cent since 1990, respectively, showed the study, published in the open access journal BMJ Global Health.

One reason is that menopause leads to a decline in female hormones oestrogen levels, said a team of researchers from China. The lack of oestrogen affects skeletal health and also impacts the function and stability of the joint system, they explained. Excess weight accounted for 20 per cent of the total years lived with the resulting disability.

“The burden of [osteoarthritis] among postmenopausal women continues to escalate, highlighting its significant impact on [their] global health,” said the researchers from the Hangzhou Medical College and Zhejiang University in China.

“There is an urgent need for proactive measures to rigorously monitor and manage risk factors, with a particular emphasis on promoting lifestyle adjustments aimed at controlling BMI. Additionally, policies should be implemented that take into account socio-demographic disparities, to effectively alleviate the burden of [osteoarthritis] in postmenopausal women,” they added.

To better understand the global impact of osteoarthritis in postmenopausal women, the researchers drew on The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study.

They analysed data from 204 countries and territories between 1990 and 2021 for new and existing cases of knee, hip, hand, and ‘other’ osteoarthritis and years of healthy life lost (DALYs) among postmenopausal women, aged 55 and above.

Osteoarthritis of the knee was the most common type and associated with the highest loss of healthy years of life (1264.48/100,000 people), followed by that of the hand and ‘other’. Osteoarthritis of the hip was the least common and associated with the lowest rates of DALYs.

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