People normally think of osteoarthritis, both in the knee and the hip, to be a rare disease that only afflicts aging people. However, recent reports have shown that osteoarthritis not only affects the elderly, it can also be acquired by people in their middle ages or even earlier.
Osteoarthritis is one of the major factors of disability for aging people in various countries worldwide as it is the most common kind of diseases of the joints. People usually associate osteoarthritis as an effect of the joints� wearing and tearing over time � an unavoidable part of aging, however this is not entirely true.
In recent times health experts are realizing that not only the aging are susceptible but people of any age as well. Aside from the usual wear and tear that comes with age,
osteoarthritis whether in the knee, hips or other joints, is caused by a wide array of factors that can affect individuals at any age including genetics, diet, bone density, hormones in females, physical activity, occupational activity, injury, and mechanical environment.
Recent studies have found out that certain families and communities may have generalized tendencies to get a form of osteoarthritis. Current research still aims to find the specific gene that is linked with vulnerability to the disease.
Osteoarthritis has also been seen to be significantly connected with what people eat or what people do not eat. Studies have found out that deficiencies in anti-oxidant vitamins such as E, C, and A are linked with higher risks for the acquisition of degenerative diseases, particularly osteoarthritis. High vitamin intakes, particularly of Vitamin C, reduces both the risk of osteoarthritis and knee pain. Additionally, high level so Vitamin D have also shown greater protection against the disease.
Knee osteoarthritis also increases its incidence with women after their menopause, suggesting a great link with the disease and estrogen deficiency. More recent studies factor in changes in bone density that comes with combination with hormonal changes that happen in postmenopausal women, making women of the age group more vulnerable to the disease than others.
There are no reports of people increasing the risk of osteoarthritis with normal physical activities, however elite athletes in their middle ages who engage in contact sports have been seen to be more susceptible to the disease. The risk of knee osteoarthritis has been found to be higher among runners, soccer players, and tennis players when compared with people of the same age group who had average physical activities.
People whose jobs require the overuse of their knee joints have also been found to be more susceptible to knee osteoarthritis. Occupations such as mining, carpentry, painting (infrastructure), dock handling and other that require workers to crouch, kneel, squat and lift heavy loads subject knee joints to abnormal load handling making the cartilage vulnerable to damage. The risks are quite the same for both males and females.
People who have had knee injuries, particularly those that involved Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) were also seen to be more prone to knee osteoarthritis. The same is true with people who have unusual alignment of their limbs, making their mechanical environment conducive for joint degeneration.
As mentioned, some or all of these factors may occur at any age level, and thus knee osteoarthritis is no longer exclusive to aging people. With such findings, the importance of preventive measures is definitely emphasized.
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Charlene J. Nuble
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