Chinese - Prevalence, aetiology and prevention Osteoarthritis is a common degenerative joint condition that usually occurs at the hip, knee or hand. Osteoarthritis of the knee is particularly common among Hong Kong Chinese and accounts for most of the disability of the elderly in Hong Kong. Very often, joint replacement is required in many patients. A study by the Faculty of Medicine of The Chinese University of Hong Kong reveals that the prevalence of osteoarthritis knee is as high Hong Kong as in western countries. With a aging population and as osteoarthritis has the feature of suddenly becoming very common in the knee and hip joints in women after menopause, it is envisaged that osteoartritis will become a very major public health problem in Hong Kong, and in particular to women.
Early prevention is very important.
These findings are very similar to the Framingham study in America. As arthritis and stroke are the major cause of disability in people who were originally healthy, the findings reveal the severity of the problem and indicated public concern over osteoarthritis should be raised. A second study in 2000 investigated 650 hospital patients with osteoarthritis of the knee and 650 normal subjects. Subjects with a previous knee joint injury were 7 times more likely to develop osteoarthritis of the knee. Contrary to popular belief, recreation sports activities such as jogging, ball games and dancing did not cause osteoarthritis of the knee.