The relationships of blood lead level, body mass index, and osteoarthritis in postmenopausal women

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by loss of articular cartilage and progressive degradation. OA is the most common chronic joint disorder and a major cause of functional disability involving some loss of autonomy in older adults [1]. A recent systematic review reported the global prevalence of radiographic (rOA) and symptomatic (sxOA) knee OA as 45.1% and 15.7%, respectively, in people aged 60 years or older [2]. Of the 291 conditions in the Global Burden of Disease 2010 study, knee and hip OA was ranked as the 11th highest cause of global disability and 38th highest of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs); age-standardized worldwide prevalence of knee and hip OA was 3.8% and 0.85%, respectively [3].
Source: Maturitas - Category: Primary Care Authors: Source Type: research