[Osteoarthritis; article for teaching and training].

Whereas osteoarthritis used to be thought of as only wear and tear of a joint, it is now regarded as an extremely complex, multifactorial, degenerative disease. Due to an ageing population and the increasing BMI of the average Dutch person, the prevalence of osteoarthritis and the associated costs of care are rising. In this teaching article, we provide practical information about the condition, methods of diagnosis and treatment. This is done by means of 10 questions relevant to general practitioners, specialists in internal medicine and surgeons.