A new study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that cases of osteoarthritis and the resulting disability among menopausal women have increased by over 130 per cent in the last three decades, globally.
The study shows that an excess weight or body mass index (BMI) accounted for about a fifth of the duration lived with the disability which resulted from the condition that deteriorates joints steadily.
For this study, the researchers looked at The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study which collected data from 204 countries and territories for the prevalence, severity and deaths attributable to 371 diseases between 1990 and 2021.
Researchers including those from Hangzhou Medical College, China said that the oestrogen levels during menopause affect skeletal health and are directly relayed to the functioning and stability of joints. The study also found that the countries in East Asia and high-income Asia Pacific experienced the fastest increase in the burden of osteoarthritis.
While the most rapid rise in new cases of knee osteoarthritis was seen in Southeast Asia, the most rapid rise in prevalence was seen in East Asia. The authors of the study said that the trends noted in East Asia "may be linked to rapid population ageing, (an) increased workforce participation and a surge in obesity rates due to urbanisation and changing lifestyles."
However, "the high burden observed in high-income Asia Pacific could be attributed to advanced healthcare systems with better diagnostic capabilities, facilitating comprehensive identification and reporting of (osteoarthritis) cases", they wrote.
The authors said that the findings highlight the increasing burden of osteoarthritis among menopausal women and stress on proactive measures, especially those promoting lifestyle adjustments for controlling BMI.
According to a study published in The Lancet Rheumatology journal in 2023, osteoarthritis was estimated to affect almost 600 million people in 2020 which makes up nearly eight per cent of the world's population and nearly a billion could be living with it in 2050
(PTI inputs)
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