Rates of Early-Onset Osteoarthritis Have Risen Since 1990

Between 1990 and 2019, the global incidence of early-onset osteoarthritis (OA) doubled, according to a study in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

The investigators analyzed data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019. They assessed incident cases, prevalent cases, years lived with disability (YLDs), and age-standardized rates of early-onset OA, which was defined as diagnosis before 55 years of age. Cases were defined as those with symptoms and radiographic confirmation in any joint. Average annual percentage changes (AAPCs) of age-standardized rates were also calculated.

In addition to the global incident cases doubling during the analyzed period, the number of prevalent cases and YLDs also doubled. In 2019, 52.31% of incident OA cases were early-onset cases. Across all sociodemographic index quintiles, the age-standardized rates of incidence, prevalence, and YLDs increased overall and in each country analyzed (P<.05). The fastest increases in early-onset OA were in countries in the low-middle sociodemographic index quintiles. Most (98.04%) countries exhibit a trend toward increasing rates of early-onset OA when standardized by age.

In terms of the economic burden, the authors wrote, “Early-onset OA accounts for US $46.17 billion in health care expenditure and US $60.70 billion in productivity loss cost in 2019.” The proportion of early-onset OA attributable to high body mass index increased globally from 1990 to 2019, from 9.41% to 15.29%, respectively.

“Early-onset OA is a developing global health problem, causing substantial economic costs in most countries,” the authors concluded. “Targeted implementation of cost-effective policies and preventive intervention is required to address the growing health challenge.”