Risk factors are things that may make it more likely that you will get a condition. But it's important to remember that having these risk factors does not mean you will get osteoarthritis. We only know that these factors seem to happen more often with people who have the condition.

Age is the most important risk factor for osteoarthritis. About 1 in 10 to 2 in 10 people aged over 60 have osteoarthritis that causes them pain.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Fitzgerald GK, Piva SR, Irrgang JJ.
Reports of joint instability in knee osteoarthritis: its prevalence and relationship to physical function.
Arthritis and Rheumatism. 2004; 51: 941-946.

 

 

 

 

 

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Being overweight is a risk factor, particularly for osteoarthritis of the knee. It is also a risk factor for hip osteoarthritis. For some reason, being overweight leads to both hips being affected, not just one. If you already have signs of osteoarthritis, being overweight will increase the likelihood that your disease will progress.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Manek NJ, Hart D, Spector TD.
The association of body mass index and osteoarthritis of the knee joint: an examination of genetic and environmental influences.
Arthritis and Rheumatism. 2003; 48: 1024-1029.

 

 

 

 

 

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Source:
Lievense AM, Bierman-Zeinstra SM, Verhagen AP, et al.
Influence of obesity on the development of osteoarthritis of the hip: a systematic review.
Rheumatology (Oxford). 2002; 41: 1155-1162.

 

 

 

 

 

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Some studies have also found that being overweight is also linked to osteoarthritis of the hand. This suggests that the connection between being overweight and having osteoarthritis goes beyond the fact that extra pounds put additional pressure on the joints. Hand joints are not weight-bearing joints, so something else must be at work here.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Felson DT, Lawrence RC, Dieppe PA, et al.
Osteoarthritis: new insights. Part 1: the disease and its risk factors.
Annals of Internal Medicine. 2000; 133: 635-646.

 

 

 

 

 

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Twice as many women as men develop osteoarthritis, mainly in the years after

 

 

 

 

 

menopause
When a woman stops having periods, it is called menopause. This usually happens around the age of 50.

 

 

 

 

 

menopause. However, it's not clear how

 

 

 

 

 

hormones
Hormones are chemicals that are made in certain parts of the body. They travel through the bloodstream and have an effect on other parts of the body. For example, the female sex hormone estrogen is made in a woman's ovaries. Estrogen has many different effects on a woman's body. It makes the breasts grow at puberty and helps control periods. It is also needed to get pregnant.

 

 

 

 

 

hormones are linked to osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis does seem to run in families, particularly osteoarthritis of the hand and hip and, to a lesser extent, of the knee. With osteoarthritis of the hand, there is more than a 50 percent chance of it being a hereditary condition.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Hough AJ Jr.
Pathology of osteoarthritis.
In: Koopman WJ. Arthritis and allied conditions: a textbook of rheumatology. 14th edition. Volume 2. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, U.S.A.; 2001.

 

 

 

 

 

⁵ It's thought that the genes involved in making cartilage are not working properly.

Some jobs do carry an increased risk of osteoarthritis. For example, factory workers who do repeated tasks with their thumb and fingers run an increased risk of osteoarthritis.

Heavy physical labor, especially with lifting, can lead to osteoarthritis of the knee or hip, as can repeated kneeling and squatting.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Lievense A, Bierma-Zeinstra S, Verhagen A, et al.
Influence of work on the development of osteoarthritis of the hip: a systematic review.
Journal of Rheumatology. 2001; 28: 2520-2528.

 

 

 

 

 

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Ankle osteoarthritis, which is rare in most people, is common in ballet dancers.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Brandt KD.
Osteoarthritis.
In: Braunwald E, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, et al. Harrison's principles of internal medicine. 15th edition. Volume 2. McGraw Hill, New York, U.S.A.; 2001.

 

 

 

 

 

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There's some evidence that running and high-impact sports can increase your risk of osteoarthritis of the hip.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Lievense AM, Bierma-Zeinstra SM, Verhagen AP, et al.
Influence of sporting activities on the development of osteoarthritis of the hip: a systematic review.
Arthritis Care and Research. 2003; 49: 228-236.

 

 

 

 

 

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African-Americans have the same risk of getting osteoarthritis as white Americans.

Some studies have found a low rate of hip osteoarthritis in black populations in Jamaica and South Africa, and the risk of osteoarthritis among Asian people appears to be even lower.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Felson DT, Lawrence RC, Dieppe PA, et al.
Osteoarthritis: new insights. Part 1: the disease and its risk factors.
Annals of Internal Medicine. 2000; 133: 635-646.

 

 

 

 

 

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