Knee Osteoarthritis Prevalence May Not Be Explained by BMI, Longevity
Increases in knee osteoarthritis (OA) prevalence might not be associated with longevity and high body mass index (BMI), according to the findings of a recent study. Instead, the researchers suggest knee OA may be attributable to other risk factors that either arose or have become more prevalent in the postindustrial era. Thus, knee OA may be more preventable than previously thought.
The researchers’ findings were based on analysis of 1581 cadaver-derived skeletons of individuals aged 50 years or older who lived during the industrial era (1800s to early 1900s) and 819 cadaver-derived skeletons of individuals aged 50 years or older who lived during the postindustrial era (late 1900s and early 2000s). In addition, the researchers estimated knee OA among prehistoric hunter-gatherers and early farmers using archeologically derived skeletons dating from 6000 to 300 Before Present. The presence of eburnation was used to diagnose OA.
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Among the postindustrial sample, the prevalence of OA was found to be 16%, which was significantly higher than the early industrial (6%) and prehistoric samples (8%). After adjustments for age, BMI, and other variables, the researchers found that the knee OA prevalence for the postindustrial sample was 2.1-fold higher compared with the early industrial sample.
“Our results indicate that increases in longevity and BMI are insufficient to explain the approximate doubling of knee OA prevalence that has occurred in the United States since the mid-20th century,” the researchers concluded. “Knee OA is thus more preventable than is commonly assumed, but prevention will require research on additional independent risk factors that either arose or have become amplified in the postindustrial era.”
—Melissa Weiss
Reference:
Wallace IJ, Worthington S, Felson D, et al. Knee osteoarthritis has doubled in prevalence since the mid-20th century [published online before print August 14, 2017]. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. doi:10.1073/pnas.1703856114.
