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Osteoarthritis

from Medical topics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2014

By
Isidro Villanueva  and
Alex Zautra
Edited by
Susan Ayers ,
Andrew Baum ,
Chris McManus ,
Stanton Newman ,
Kenneth Wallston ,
John Weinman  and
Robert West
Isidro Villanueva
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
Alex Zautra
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
Susan Ayers
Affiliation:
University of Sussex
Andrew Baum
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh
Chris McManus
Affiliation:
St Mary's Hospital Medical School
Stanton Newman
Affiliation:
University College and Middlesex School of Medicine
Kenneth Wallston
Affiliation:
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
John Weinman
Affiliation:
United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas's
Robert West
Affiliation:
St George's Hospital Medical School, University of London
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Summary

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common rheumatic disease and most prevalent form of arthritis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1990). OA is described as a degenerative non-inflammatory type of arthritis that mainly affects the joint cartilage; however, in a proportion of subjects, some mild inflammation can occur. OA is characterized by softening and disintegration of articular cartilage, with reactive phenomena such as vascular congestion and osteoblastic activity in the subarticular bone, new growth of cartilage and bone (i.e. osteophytes) at the joint margins and capsular fibrosis.

Epidemiology of osteoarthritis

Moderate-to-severe OA affects more than 12% of the adults between the ages of 25 and 74 years (CDC, 1990). Estimates of the prevalence of OA based on radiographic evidence range from 30–90%, depending on age group (Lawrence et al., 1998). In women, for example, OA is currently the most prevalent chronic condition and the rate of self-reported cases is projected to increase in the next decades. A population-based study showed incident rates of 2/1000 per year for knee OA (Wilson et al., 1990). Advancing age, female gender and obesity constitute some of the identified risk factors for OA (see ‘Obesity’). Symptomatic OA affects roughly 6% of the adult population, 10% of persons over 65 years of age (Felson et al., 1987). Among those individuals between the ages of 55–64, the rate is estimated at 7.5% for women and 4.3% for men (Davis et al., 1991).

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Cambridge Handbook of Psychology, Health and Medicine , pp. 803 - 807
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

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