StemCell Therapy

Experts have, perhaps unexpectedly, said the condition is not due to people living longer and an ageing society.

They have even gone as far as to suggest the condition is as preventable as heart disease.

Scientists have said there are a number of environmental factors which could be causing the condition - but living longer and being overweight are not reasons why, according to experts.

Instead, the scientists suggested it could be as a result of being less active than our ancestors and have even said it could be as a result of wider environmental factors.

The team analysed over 2,000 skeletons from archaeological collections spanning more than 6,000 years to show how cases have soared in the last seven decades.

Professor Daniel Lieberman, of Harvard University in Boston, said: "The most important comparison is between the early industrial (1800s) and modern samples.

"Because we had data on each individual's age, sex, body weight, ethnicity and in many cases, their occupation and cause of death, we were able to correct for a number of factors that we considered important co-variates.

"Using careful statistical methods, we are able to say that if you were born after World War II you have approximately twice the likelihood of getting knee osteoarthritis at a given age or BMI than if you were born earlier."

It also exposed the idea knee osteoarthritis is now widespread because of more obesity and longevity as a myth.

Dr Ian Wallace, of Harvard University in Boston, said: "Before this study it was assumed without having been tested the prevalence of knee osteoarthritis has changed over time.

"We were able to show - for the first time - this pervasive cause of pain is actually twice as common today than even in the recent past.

"But the even bigger surprise is it's not just because people are living longer or getting fatter, but for other reasons likely related to our modern environments."

Experts said the condition is responsible for more disability than almost any other musculoskeletal disorder.

Professor Lieberman added: "Understanding the origins of knee osteoarthritis is an urgent challenge because the disease is almost entirely untreatable apart from joint replacement - and once someone has knee osteoarthritis it creates a vicious circle.

"People become less active which can lead to a host of other problems - and their health ends up declining at a more rapid rate."

"Knee osteoarthritis is not a necessary consequence of old age.

We should think of this as a partly preventable disease.

"Wouldn't it be great if people could live to be 60, 70 or 80 and never get knee osteoarthritis in the first place?

"Right now, our society is barely focusing on prevention in any way, shape or form, so we need to redirect more interest toward preventing this and other so-called diseases of ageing."

The researchers hope their study inspires new research to prevent knee osteoarthritis.

The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Arthritis cure? Woman hails miracle device used on horses

Continued here:
Knee osteoarthritis symptoms: Obesity is not to blame for rise, say experts - Express.co.uk

This entry was posted on August 16, 2017 at 10:47 am and is filed under Arthritis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |