Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent type of arthritis, particularly in adults 65 years and older. OA is a chronic degenerative arthropathy that frequently leads to chronic pain and disability. With the aging of our population, this condition is becoming increasing prevalent and its treatment increasingly financially burdensome. Finding better treatments for OA is a major focus of research at this time. Epidemiology OA is the most common type of arthritis. siatic nerve leg pain hip joint replacement Reported incidence and prevalence rates of OA in specific joints vary widely, due to differences in the case definition of OA (slide). OA may be defined by radiographic criteria alone (radiographic OA), by typical symptoms (symptomatic OA), or by both. Using radiographic criteria, the distal and proximal interphalangeal joints of the hand have been identified as the joints most commonly affected by OA, but they are the least likely to be symptomatic. In contrast, the knee hip joint replacement hip joint replacement and hip, which constitute the second and third most common locations of radiographic OA, respectively, are nearly always symptomatic. The first metatarsal phalangeal and carpometacarpal joints are also frequent sites of radiographic OA, while the shoulder, elbow, wrist and metacarpophalangeal joints rarely develop idiopathic OA. What are the risk factors for developing OA? (slide) In demographic studies, age is the most consistently identified risk factor for OA, regardless of the joint being studied. Prevalence rates for leg muscle pain hip joint replacement both radiographic OA and, to a lesser extent, symptomatic OA rise steeply after age 50 in men and age 40 in women. Female gender is also a well-recognized risk factor for OA. Hand OA is particularly prevalent among women. In addition, polyarticular OA and isolated knee OA are slightly more common in women than men, while hip OA occurs more commonly in men. Interestingly, women are more likely to report pain in all affected joints, including osteoarthritis hip hip joint replacement the
