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Steps Toward Understanding, Alleviating Osteoarthritis Will Help Aging Population
M. J. Friedrich
JAMA. 1999;282:1023-1025.
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| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings. |
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Bethesda, Md—Although age is a risk factor for osteoarthritis (OA), the degenerative joint disease that affects more than 20 million Americans mainly over the age of 45, OA is not an inevitable part of the aging process. Obesity, joint injury, and genetics are all thought to contribute to the cartilage breakdown and other factors that lead to the development and progression of joint degeneration characteristic of the disease.
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Illustration by Jill Ghormley
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Still, as the number of older Americans increases, physicians are welcoming new insights into the pathophysiology of OA that lead to better methods of preventing and treating this disabling disorder.
UNDERSTANDING OA
Clinically, OA is a disease in which patients experience symptoms—pain, tenderness, and swelling, as well as limitation of movement—when they do things such as climbing stairs or using their hands, David Felson, MD, MPH, of Boston University School of Medicine reminded participants . . . [Full Text of this Article]
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