The usual age of onset is between 20 and 40 years of age. Osteoarthritis usually affects people over the age of 45, and is more common in women also. It is often called degenerative joint disease, and is not a systemic disease but a local joint disorder not generally deforming or crippling unless the hip is involved. With Osteoarthritis, there is a slow, gradual, onset that begins with morning stiffness in a weight-bearing joint and progresses to pain upon movement, leading to a loss of joint function. This is the result of the wearing away of the cartilage covering the ends of the bones.
Cartilage consists of collagen fibers which give strength, and glycosaminoglycan molecules.
These glycosaminoglycan molecules are key structural components of cartilage, which act as a cushion during impact. The inability for some of us to produce Glucosamine may be a leading factor in the development of osteoarthritis. There are no food sources of Glucosamine. Commercially available sources are obtained from the skeletons of shrimp, lobsters, and crabs. Glucosamine is available in several forms but the recommended choice is Glucosamine Sulfate.