Itโs among the most common ailments people have as they age, but medical researchers have long struggled with how to help โ other than surgery.
The problem? Osteoarthritis in the knee, the No. 1 reason people have costly knee-replacement surgeries.
Researchers at the University of Arizona Arthritis Center are now using a $3.4 million grant, recently awarded by the National Institutes of Health, to better understand rapid knee deterioration.
โHopefully, in the future, weโll be able to prevent more people from needing knee replacements,โ said Dr. C. Kent Kwoh, director of the UAโs Arthritis Center. โItโs the only treatment we have now.โ
More than 32 million people nationwide have osteoarthritis, and knees are one of the most commonly affected areas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.
About 800,000 knee replacements are performed each year, making it the most common surgery performed at a rate of 223 per 100,000 โ the next being coronary angioplasty at 170 per 100,000.
Kwoh will lead the five-year study, which will include 10,000 patient participants between the ages of 45 and 90. There are researchers from 10 other universities participating from the U.S., as well as Sweden and Australia. Researchers will use X-rays to identify unique aspects of knee structure to help predict who will experience rapid knee deterioration.
A personโs sex, race, weight and history of knee injuries and knee surgeries could all come into play.
Through previous research of about 4,800 patients, Kwoh said, they have determined knee osteoarthritis only progresses rapidly about 10-15% of the time.
Women are more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis, and one reason could be that they have less joint space in their knees, and less cartilage thickness overall.
In general, Kwoh said, there are three things he recommends for healthy knees: Staying active, maintaining a healthy weight, and avoiding knee injuries.
