Knee Pain and Osteoarthritis: Lessons Learned and Lessons to Be Learned
Authors: Allan C. Gelber
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2011)

Editorials6 December 2011Knee Pain and Osteoarthritis: Lessons Learned and Lessons to Be LearnedAllan C. Gelber, MD, MPH, PhDAllan C. Gelber, MD, MPH, PhDFrom Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-155-11-201112060-00011 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Of all the forms of arthritis, osteoarthritis is the most common. An estimated 27 million U.S. adults have clinical osteoarthritis (1). Since the 1950s, the presence of osteoarthritis has been principally defined by its radiographic hallmarks, as articulated by Kellgren and Lawrence (2), who described the presence of an osteophyte (spur), joint space narrowing, subchondral cyst, and eburnation (or bony sclerosis) as key radiographic features of the disease. Although these radiographic findings continue to guide clinical evaluation of the patient presenting with joint pain, a diagnosis of osteoarthritis needs to take into account the clinical context, comorbid conditions, and functional ...References1. Lawrence RC, Felson DT, Helmick CG, Arnold LM, Choi H, Deyo RA, et al; National Arthritis Data Workgroup. Estimates of the prevalence of arthritis and other rheumatic conditions in the United States. Part II. Arthritis Rheum. 2008;58:26-35. [PMID: 18163497] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Kellgren JH, Lawrence JS. Radiological assessment of osteo-arthrosis. Ann Rheum Dis. 1957;16:494-502. [PMID: 13498604] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Felson DT, Lawrence RC, Dieppe PA, Hirsch R, Helmick CG, Jordan JM, et al. Osteoarthritis: new insights. Part 1: the disease and its risk factors. Ann Intern Med. 2000;133:635-46. [PMID: 11033593] LinkGoogle Scholar4. Felson DT, Zhang Y. An update on the epidemiology of knee and hip osteoarthritis with a view to prevention. Arthritis Rheum. 1998;41:1343-55. [PMID: 9704632] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Hartz AJ, Fischer ME, Bril G, Kelber S, Rupley D, Oken B, et al. The association of obesity with joint pain and osteoarthritis in the HANES data. J Chronic Dis. 1986;39:311-9. [PMID: 3958117] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Davis MA, Ettinger WH, Neuhaus JM, Hauck WW. Sex differences in osteoarthritis of the knee. The role of obesity. Am J Epidemiol. 1988;127:1019-30. [PMID: 3358403] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Anderson JJ, Felson DT. Factors associated with osteoarthritis of the knee in the first national Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HANES I). Evidence for an association with overweight, race, and physical demands of work. Am J Epidemiol. 1988;128:179-89. [PMID: 3381825] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Kannel WB, Dawber TR, Kagan A, Revotskie N, Stokes J. Factors of risk in the development of coronary heart disease—six year follow-up experience. The Framingham Study. Ann Intern Med. 1961;55:33-50. [PMID: 13751193] LinkGoogle Scholar9. Felson DT, Naimark A, Anderson J, Kazis L, Castelli W, Meenan RF. The prevalence of knee osteoarthritis in the elderly. The Framingham Osteoarthritis Study. Arthritis Rheum. 1987;30:914-8. [PMID: 3632732] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Felson DT, Anderson JJ, Naimark A, Walker AM, Meenan RF. Obesity and knee osteoarthritis. The Framingham Study. Ann Intern Med. 1988;109:18-24. [PMID: 3377350] LinkGoogle Scholar11. Nguyen US, Zhang Y, Zhu Y, Niu J, Zhang B, Felson DT. Increasing prevalence of knee pain and symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: survey and cohort data. Ann Intern Med. 2011;155:725-32. LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224.Disclosures: None disclosed. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M11-2581.Corresponding Author: Allan C. Gelber, MD, MPH, PhD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 5200 Eastern Avenue, Mason F. Lord Building, Center Tower, Suite 4100, Baltimore, MD 21224; e-mail, [email protected]edu. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoIncreasing Prevalence of Knee Pain and Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis: Survey and Cohort Data Uyen-Sa D.T. Nguyen , Yuqing Zhang , Yanyan Zhu , Jingbo Niu , Bin Zhang , and David T. Felson Metrics Cited byMedical Practice Variations in Joint Replacement in Patients with OsteoarthritisConventional medical therapy for osteoarthritisMedical Practice Variations in Joint Replacement in Patients with Osteoarthritis 6 December 2011Volume 155, Issue 11Page: 786-787KeywordsBody weightCohort studiesElderlyHealth surveysKneesMedical risk factorsMedical servicesObesityOsteoarthritisSurgery ePublished: 6 December 2011 Issue Published: 6 December 2011 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2011 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...