Arthritis, Degenerative
Basics
Basics
Basics
Description
Description
- Degenerative arthritis or osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common progressive joint disease, with estimated prevalence of 54 million cases in the U.S. as of 2015 per CDC national statistics
- This number is expected to continue increasing due to aging population and obesity
- Found almost exclusively in the elderly
Etiology
Etiology
- Pathophysiology thought to be multifactorial, with main mechanisms below
- Repetitive stress to synovial joints with aging
- May be seen in younger patients secondary to joint trauma
- Articular cartilage destruction:
- Reactive changes in joint margin bone and subchondral sclerosis
- Risk factors include age, obesity, trauma, genetics, sex, and environment
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