The multitude of disease conditions caused by obesity is growing, and as mentioned previously, obesity will soon overtake smoking as the leading cause of death in the United States. Ever wonder why so many people are getting hip and knee replacements? Perhaps it may be related to the epidemic of obesity. A study published in the March issue of the medical journal, Arthritis and Rheumatism, indicates that higher body mass index earlier in life is strongly related to total hip replacement due to osteoarthritis.
Researchers in Norway matched data obtained from more than 1 million people aged 18-67 during routine tuberculosis screening from 1963-1975 with later information from the Arthroplasty Register from 1987-2003. They found that the relative risk was significantly increased in both men and women with a BMI of greater than 32 versus those with a BMI between 20 and 22. Furthermore, they found that subjects who were overweight prior to age 25 years experienced an even greater incidence of hip replacement due to severe osteoarthritis which was sustained throughout life.
These findings are quite important. Hip fracture is a serious event, associated with a high mortality rate in the few years following. If severe osteoarthritis is identified before a fracture occurs, and surgery is performed to replace the hip(s), severe complications can result and the cumulative costs associated with these procedures are astronomical.
Posted by Dr. Jennifer Stagg on July 30, 2006 06:24 PM
