Why you must know this?
The world is an enormus globe of imagination and progress; we are part of this progress! We want to share with you some knowledge about some health problems that are killing people. To be informed is just your responsability; we make it to you easier.
Arthritis Affects More Women Than Men After They Cross 85 Years Of Age
By 2033, in UK alone there will be more than 3.3 million that have crossed the 85 years old mark. There are very few health studies on the oldest of the old persons – and the data available does not give a complete picture. Studies show that about 65.4% of people who cross 85, suffer from arthritis. In this number, the majority affected are women.
A research paper published in the ‘Age and Ageing’ journal gives the results of a study carried out by Newcastle University underlying this finding. About 57.1% of all the old people affected by osteoarthritis are women.
The pain quotient of women exceeded average pain scores for all the joints. However, it was the knee joint that won the ‘highest pain score’. Comparing people from countries across Europe, it was found that the pain remained higher in women:
Sl no |
Country |
Percentage of 85+ age people reporting pain of joints |
Men |
Women (%) |
01 |
United Kingdom |
56.9 |
44.2 |
64.5 |
02 |
Netherlands |
57.0 |
62.0 |
47.0 |
03 |
Sweden |
|
48.7 |
12.9 |
The Most Affected Part (In Terms Of Pain) Is The Knee Joint
The study revealed that osteoarthritis was mostly found in the hip, foot, ankle, lower back, hand and knee joints. Out of these, the highest score of pain was assigned to the knee joints. Closely following in the score were the foot, ankle and lower back. Women scored a higher pain score for all joints affected by osteoarthritis with the exception of two, i.e. foot and shoulder joints.
Even so, only 13.5 percent of those affected by this disease participated or underwent knee or hip replacement.
The Impact Of The Findings Of The Study
There are very few studies on the oldest of the old. However, with whatever data is there, it looks the future will offer great challenges on managing the burden of the financial implication for treating musculoskeletal diseases in the oldest of the old.
It is important that measures are taken to ensure that these persons who already face multimorbidity factors, have access to quality healthcare commensurate to their needs so they could enjoy a high quality of life in the winter of their lives. As the publishing researchers said, “Establishing the impact of arthritis on disability, health and wellbeing and healthcare use, is fundamental before we can determine treatment approaches and measure their success…”.
