Osteoarthritis More Common in Women Than Men: Study

The severity of arthritis is much higher in women than men and was found that the incidence of arthritis among younger people is much higher.

More women than men are affected with osteoarthritis, which is a type of disease that affects the joints, reveals a study conducted by the Arthritis Foundation of India (AFI).

The study suggested that the severity of arthritis is also much higher in females as compared with males. It found an alarmingly high incidence of arthritis 26.5 percent among younger people in their 30s.

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Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease affecting middle-aged and older people. It is characterized by progressive damage to the joint cartilage.

‘Treating obesity and creating awareness among general public can reduce the risk of osteoarthritis.’

"In all, 55 percent of the patients (with osteoarthritis) were females, as compared to 45 percent males," said the AFI study conducted among 600 OPD patients in Doctor Hedgewar Aarogya Sansthan, Vir Savarkar Hospital, Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital and R.K. Hospital here.

The AFI, Indian member of International Osteoporosis Foundation and the World Health Organization (WHO), conducted an epidemiological study on the situation of osteoarthritis in Delhi and found obesity and lack of awareness as a leading factor contributing to its prevalence.

"Obesity was a major contributing factor, with 53 percent of the respondents found to be obese," the study said.

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Metabolic changes, caused by a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle, trigger the genetic reprogramming of cells in the body and joints.

Also, with the risk factors like hypertension, diabetes, thyroid and others, the progress of the diseases was much quicker in many cases within two years, it added.

The study also considered the socio-economic background of the patients and found that 70 percent of the total participants (in the study) belonged to less than Rs 25,000 per month income group, while the remaining 30 percent belonged to above Rs 25,000 a month bracket.

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"The marginally high severe cases can be attributed to the lifestyle in lower socio-economic group like elevator-less multi-storied housing, Indian toilets and more of them sitting frequently on the floor, etc."

In terms of the age bracket, 73.5 percent patients, who attended the arthritis OPD for knee arthritis, were more than 40 years of age.

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Variation in a specialized type of cell that lines the inside of joints and its gene expression contributes to the difference in arthritis.

"This study throws light on the prevalence of osteoarthritis in Delhi, and the general public's response to the disease. Unfortunately, there is very little awareness among the masses, which is not a good sign and is preventing people from getting the right treatment at the right time," said Dr. Sushil Sharma, Senior Orthopedician and AFI Chairman.

The study noted that progression of the disease could have been prevented and the suffering minimised to quite an extent had it been reported in the mild stage.

Source-IANS