Osteoarthritis is a condition that affects the joints, causing the protective cartilage at the ends of bones to wear down. This can result in pain, stiffness, and loss of movement.
More than 500 million people worldwide live with this condition, and it’s often seen in older adults. Factors like age, injuries, genetics, and being female are known to increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis.
A study that tracked people’s health over 20 years discovered that osteoarthritis not only affects the joints but may also double the risk of developing several other long-term health problems quickly.
Researchers call this a progression to “multimorbidity,” which means having more than one chronic health issue.
To understand this connection better, researchers examined healthcare data from the Skåne region in Sweden, which includes around 1.4 million residents. They focused on people over the age of 40 who had been newly diagnosed with osteoarthritis between 2008 and 2009.
There were 9,846 individuals in this group, with an average age of 66, and 58% of them were women. These participants were compared with another group of 19,692 people of the same age and sex who did not have osteoarthritis.
The researchers followed these people from 1998 to 2019, tracking the number of additional health problems they developed over time.
The study found that osteoarthritis can speed up the progression to multimorbidity, with four different rates at which people developed multiple health problems:
- Mild Multimorbidity Late Progression (Class 1): These individuals developed fewer additional health conditions over the study period, averaging around three by the end.
- Mild Multimorbidity Early Progression (Class 2): This group developed multiple conditions at a faster pace than Class 1 but still had fewer severe health problems overall.
- Moderate Multimorbidity (Class 3): Participants in this group experienced a moderate progression of conditions.
- Severe Multimorbidity (Class 4): This group had the fastest progression, ending up with an average of around ten conditions by the end of the study.
Back in 1998, all participants across these groups either had no health conditions or just one. But by the end of the study, the difference between these groups became more apparent.
People in Class 4 had the most severe health problems, and over half of them had passed away. On the other hand, Class 1 participants had the fewest conditions and a lower rate of death.
The researchers found that people with osteoarthritis were 29% more likely to be in Class 1 compared to those without the condition. However, their risk of ending up in Class 4 was more than double.
This suggests that osteoarthritis might be a starting point for more serious health issues down the road. While aging naturally leads to long-term conditions, osteoarthritis seems to increase this risk even beyond what age alone would explain.
Osteoarthritis may lead to other health problems through various factors like low levels of physical activity, a diet high in calories, and chronic low-grade inflammation.
The study suggests that these factors could be contributing to the increased risk of developing multiple severe conditions in people with osteoarthritis.
It’s important to note that this was an observational study, so it can’t prove that osteoarthritis directly causes these other health problems.
Additionally, the study didn’t account for things like diet, exercise, or body weight, which are known to affect the development of chronic conditions.
Even so, the findings highlight the need for further research on how osteoarthritis might trigger a chain reaction of other health issues.
They also emphasize the importance of managing osteoarthritis through lifestyle choices that can potentially lower the risk of severe multimorbidity. This could include interventions to increase physical activity, improve diet, and reduce inflammation.
In conclusion, osteoarthritis appears to play a significant role in the development of multiple long-term health problems. Taking steps to manage this condition and adopting healthier habits could help reduce the risk of facing more serious health challenges in the future.
If you care about pain, please read studies about how to manage gout with a low-purine diet, and a guide to eating right for arthritis.
For more health information, please see recent studies about the link between processed foods and chronic diseases, and avoid these 8 foods to ease arthritis pain.
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