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 Among women, researchers found the lifetime risk was 47 percent
while for men it was about 25 percent. Obese people also had 11
percent higher lifetime risk than those who were not obese.
Hand osteoarthritis can cause disability and problems with daily
living, but is not often a subject of research, the study team
writes in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatology.
Past research shows the lifetime risk for arthritis of the knee to
be 45 percent and 25 percent for the hip, they write.
“These findings indicate that symptomatic hand osteoarthritis is
very common, and affects a substantial proportion of the population
in their lifetimes,” lead author Jin Qin told Reuters Health by
email.
“Given the aging population and increasing life expectancy in the
United States, it is reasonable to expect that more Americans will
be affected by this painful and debilitating condition in the years
to come,” said Qin, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
The researchers analyzed data from a North Carolina-based study of
more than 2,000 people over age 45. The study collected data between
1999 and 2010, using self-reports of arthritis symptoms and X-ray
images of the participants’ hands.
Based on this group, researchers estimated the proportion of people
who will develop osteoarthritis in at least one hand by age 85 to be
39.8 percent.
Whites were at greater risk, at 41 percent, for hand osteoarthritis
than blacks, with 29 percent. Obese people had a lifetime risk of 47
percent, compared to 36 percent among the non-obese.
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“Some people with hand osteoarthritis have minimal or no symptoms.
But for many, symptomatic hand osteoarthritis greatly affects their
everyday lives, with few options for improving their symptoms,” Dr.
Fiona Watt, a research lecturer and honorary consultant
rheumatologist at the University of Oxford in the UK, said by email.
The pain can vary and tends to be worse the more people use their
hands, flaring up during daily activity like carrying heavy shopping
bags or typing on keyboards or phones, said Watt, who was not
involved in the study.
“Our hands are so important, and we need to look after them,” Watt
said, adding that doing aerobic exercise and watching our weight can
help protect against all types of osteoarthritis.
“We know that injury can increase the risk of osteoarthritis,” Watt
said. “Although we can’t always prevent hand injuries, wearing
supporting and protective gloves in occupations with heavy use of
the hand is important.”
Preventing injuries and maintaining a healthy weight may lower the
risk of osteoarthritis, Qin said. “Earlier diagnosis allows earlier
use of interventions (e.g. physical/occupational therapy), that may
help manage symptoms, maintain better function, and improve quality
of life,” she said.
SOURCE: bit.ly/2qVwAsy Arthritis and Rheumatology, online May 8,
2017.
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