BIOLOGY NEWS NET
New research shows 63% of women age 50 and older reported persistent, incident, or intermittent knee pain during a 12-year study period. Predictors for persistent pain included higher body mass index (BMI), previous knee injury, and radiographic osteoarthritis (OA). Details of this longitudinal study are available in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).
According to the ACR more than 27 million Americans over age 25 suffer from OA—a leading cause of disability worldwide—with pain being the most problematic symptom for patients. The economic burden from OA is substantial, with reports estimating the U.K. annual loss of productivity cost at £3.2 billion. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates job-related OA costs $3.4 to $13.2 billion per year. Prior studies suggest knee OA, specifically, is associated with impaired physical function and substantial societal burden. In fact, the CDC reported close to 500,000 total knee replacements were performed in the U.S. in 2004 with more than $14 billion spent on hospital costs related to the procedure.
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