Osteoarthritis is a condition that affects the joints, making it painful and harder to move. It happens when the cartilage—the smooth, protective layer at the ends of bones—wears down over time. Without enough cartilage, bones rub against each other, causing pain, stiffness, and swelling.
This condition is very common, especially among older adults. Right now, more than 500 million people around the world live with osteoarthritis.
Many things can raise the risk of developing osteoarthritis. These include getting older, past injuries, family history, and being female. While most people know osteoarthritis as a joint problem, new research shows that it might lead to other serious health issues as well.
A long-term study has found that people with osteoarthritis may develop several other long-term illnesses faster than those without the condition. This buildup of multiple health problems is called “multimorbidity.”
It means having more than one long-lasting disease at the same time—like heart disease, diabetes, or lung conditions. The study suggests that osteoarthritis might double the risk of progressing quickly to this state.
To understand how this happens, researchers looked at health records from the Skåne region in Sweden, home to about 1.4 million people. They focused on 9,846 people over the age of 40 who were newly diagnosed with osteoarthritis between 2008 and 2009.
The average age in this group was 66, and 58% were women. These individuals were compared with another 19,692 people of the same age and sex who did not have osteoarthritis.
The study tracked the health of both groups from 1998 to 2019, looking at how many other diseases they developed during that time. Researchers noticed that osteoarthritis seemed to speed up the process of getting more health conditions.
They divided the participants into four groups based on how quickly their health worsened. People in the first group (Class 1) had only mild health problems by the end of the study—around three conditions, and these developed slowly. Those in Class 2 also had mild issues but got them earlier and faster.
The third group (Class 3) developed a moderate number of problems. The fourth group (Class 4) had the worst outcomes. They ended up with an average of 10 health conditions, and more than half of them had died by the end of the study.
At the beginning of the study in 1998, nearly all participants had no serious health problems. But by 2019, clear differences had emerged between the groups. The most worrying part was that people with osteoarthritis were more than twice as likely to end up in Class 4—the group with the most health problems and highest death rate—compared to those without osteoarthritis.
This suggests that osteoarthritis might do more than just affect the joints. It may act as a warning sign for more serious health troubles ahead. While getting older naturally leads to more health issues, osteoarthritis seems to speed up this process beyond what age alone would explain.
The study suggests a few possible reasons why this happens. People with osteoarthritis often move less because of joint pain. This lower level of physical activity can lead to weight gain, higher blood pressure, and other health problems.
In addition, chronic inflammation—one of the body’s responses to osteoarthritis—can also harm other parts of the body over time. Diet may play a role too, especially if people are eating more calories than they need.
It’s important to remember that this study was observational. That means it looked at data over time but didn’t test treatments or changes directly. So, it can’t prove that osteoarthritis causes other diseases. It also didn’t track things like what people ate, how active they were, or how much they weighed—all of which can affect health outcomes.
Still, the study raises an important point: managing osteoarthritis might help people avoid other serious health problems. By staying active, eating well, and trying to reduce inflammation, people with osteoarthritis may be able to slow down or prevent the development of other conditions.
In short, osteoarthritis isn’t just about joint pain. It may be part of a bigger picture that affects overall health. Paying attention to this condition early and making healthy lifestyle choices could help people live longer, healthier lives—both for their joints and the rest of their body.
If you care about arthritis, please read studies about extra virgin olive oil for arthritis, and pomegranate: A natural treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.
For more information about arthritis, please see recent studies about how to live pain-free with arthritis, and results showing medical cannabis may help reduce arthritis pain, back pain.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
