MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (University of Southampton), Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK.
Br Med Bull. 2013;105:185-99. doi: 10.1093/bmb/lds038. Epub 2013 Jan 20.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease involving the cartilage and many of its surrounding tissues. Disease progression is usually slow but can ultimately lead to joint failure with pain and disability. OA of the hips and knees tends to cause the greatest burden to the population as pain and stiffness in these large weight-bearing joints often leads to significant disability requiring surgical intervention.
The article reviews the existing data on epidemiology of osteoarthritis and the burden of the disease.
Symptoms and radiographic changes are poorly correlated in OA. Established risk factors include obesity, local trauma and occupation. The burden of OA is physical, psychological and socioeconomic.
Available data does not allow definite conclusion regarding the roles of nutrition, smoking and sarcopenia as risk factors for developing OA.
Variable methods of diagnosing osteoarthritis have significantly influenced the comparability of the available literature.
Further research is required to fully understand how OA affects an individual physically and psychologically, and to determine their healthcare need.
骨关节炎（OA）是一种涉及软骨及其周围许多组织的退行性关节疾病。疾病的进展通常较为缓慢，但最终可能导致疼痛和残疾的关节失效。髋关节和膝关节的 OA 往往给人群带来最大的负担，因为这些大的承重关节的疼痛和僵硬通常会导致严重的残疾，需要手术干预。
本文综述了骨关节炎的流行病学和疾病负担的现有数据。
OA 中症状和放射学改变相关性较差。已确定的危险因素包括肥胖、局部创伤和职业。OA 的负担包括身体、心理和社会经济方面。
现有数据不能确定营养、吸烟和肌肉减少症作为发生 OA 的危险因素的作用。
用于诊断骨关节炎的方法各不相同，这极大地影响了现有文献的可比性。
需要进一步研究以充分了解 OA 如何在身体和心理上影响个体，并确定他们的医疗保健需求。
