Global trends show strong increase in osteoarthritis in postmenopausal women

The global number of cases of osteoarthritis and the disability associated with the disease has been in women in the past three decades who have passed the menopause BMJ Global Health.

During this period, East Asia and a high income in the Asian -Pacific area recorded the fastest growth of the disease, while excess weight is 20% of the entire years that lived with the resulting disability, as the analysis shows.

Osteoarthritis is mainly characterized by the deterioration and damage to the articular cartilage, accompanied by bony conversion, joint dysfunction and chronic pain.

In 2020 alone, an estimated 595 million people lived with the disease worldwide, which is almost 8% of the world's population, with postmenopausal women an increased risk.

In order to better understand the global effects of osteoarthritis in this group, the researchers relied on the global study of the disease load (GBD) 2021. This collected and analyzed data from 204 countries and territories for prevalence, severity and deaths between 1990 and 2021.

The researchers focused in particular on the rates of new and existing cases of knee, hip, hand and other “osteoarthritis and years of healthy years of life (Dalys) in postmenopausal women aged 55.

The menopause signals a decline in estrogen levels, which not only influences the health of the skeleton, but also directly connected to the function and stability of the common system, and explain the researchers.

The GBD framework includes the Sociodemographic Index (SDI), a composed level of the development of a country based on income per director of the population, average years of education and fertility rates for the under 25 years.

And to deliver regional estimates of arthrosis, these countries and areas were further divided into 21 regions, based on geographical proximity and cultural similarities.

In general, the global retirement rate of new and existing cases and dalies for all types of osteoarthritis from 1990 to 2021 in postmenopausal women in all age groups stood steadily.

In 2021 there were 14,258,581 new cases; 278,568.950 existing cases; and 99,447.16 Dalys, which has been an increase of 133%, 140%or. 142%.

With the exception of other osteoarthritis, high SDI areas showed significantly greater incidence, prevalence and daly than other regions.

Arthrosis of the knee was the most common type and associated with the highest loss of healthy life (1264.48/100,000 people), followed by that of the hand and the “others”.

At the other end of the spectrum, the osteoarthritis of the hip was the least frequent and connected to the lowest Dalys rates.

Among the 21 GBD regions had the Asian -Pacific countries in the Pacific with the highest old standardized incidence, prevalence and daly rates for kneeostoarthritis per 100,000 people, while countries in central Asia reported the lowest age rates with the lowest age quotas.

The fastest increase in new cases of knee arthrosis occurred in Southeast Asia, while in East Asia the fastest increase in prevalence and the Dalys occurred.

The highest load of the hand arthrosis was in Central Asia, while the lowest was in Oceania. In East Asia, the fastest increase in new and existing cases was observed by hand arthrints and Dalys.

All retirement rate for hips and other osteoarthritis standardized standardized rates between older men and women of the same age were relatively similar. However, women had significantly higher levels of hand and knee ornate arthritis than men of the same age.

In particular, Dalys for hand arthrosis at 55 to 59 years were almost twice as high as in men of the same age.

Hand and other arthrosis have shown the fastest growth at 55–59 and 60 to 64 years in the past ten years.

Excess weight (BMI), a key risk factor for osteoarthritis, was the only risk factor examined in the GBD 21 data. It was defined as over 20 to 23 kg/m² for those aged at least 20 years.

Between 1990 and 2021, Dalys at Hohen BMI rose significantly in women after menopause in all SDI categories and in most regions, with the exception of Central Asia.

Worldwide, Dalys on high BMI in women after menopause rose from around 17% in 1990 to around 21% in 2021. The regions at the top of Sdis had the highest proportion of Dalys with a high BMI of more than 20%, with East Asia showing the sharpest increase from around 14% to 23%.

Osteoarthritis that was attributed to the high BMI was consistently a problem for women in all regions of the world and in all SDI categories.

The trends observed in East Asia “can be associated with a quick population age, an increased participation of the workforce and an increase in obesity rates based on urbanization and changing lifestyles,” indicate the researchers.

“Conversely, the high impact on advanced health systems with better diagnostic skills could be attributed in the Asian-Pacific high income, which facilitates comprehensive identification and reporting [osteoarthritis] Cases, “add.

The researchers recognize various restrictions on their results, including regional variations of data quality, while data from countries with low income were often scarce. The age of 55 could also have excluded women who were in younger years after menopause.

But they conclude: “The burden of [osteoarthritis] Among the postmenopausal women, continues to escalate [their] Global health. ”

They add: “There is an urgent need for proactive measures to rigorously monitor and manage risk factors [osteoarthritis] In postmenopausal women. ”