1,721,665 research outputs found
Assessment of the risk of fracture in patients with gastrointestinal disease
No full textOsteoporotic fractures are a common problem and associated with significant morbidity, mortality and costs. There is now increasing evidence that patients with coeliac disease are at an increased risk of osteoporotic fracture. With the advent of new therapeutic agents to reduce the risk of fracture, it is important to identify people at highest risk. The best predictors of future fracture include a previous osteoporotic fracture, low bone density, active inflammatory bowel disease, the use of oral corticosteroids and an increased risk of falling
Osteoarthritis: 'programming' by the early environment
No full textOsteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis in Western populations. It is the single most important cause of disability in older adults. OA of the knee, the principal joint affected, is diagnosed in 10% of the UK population older than 55 and results in disabling knee symptoms for 10% of them. Radiographic evidence of knee OA in men and women aged over 65 years is reported in 30% of subjects, around one-third of whom are symptomatic. Furthermore, the rapid aging of Western societies and increasing rates of obesity are likely to significantly increase the health and economic burden of knee osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis: epidemiology
No full textOsteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disorder in the world. In Western populations it is one of the most frequent causes of pain, loss of function and disability in adults. Radiographic evidence of OA occurs in the majority of people by 65 years of age and in about 80% of those aged over 75 years. In the US it is second only to ischaemic heart disease as a cause of work disability in men over 50 years of age, and accounts for more hospitalizations than rheumatoid arthritis (RA) each year. Despite this public health impact, OA remains an enigmatic condition to the epidemiologist. In this chapter, we will review the definition and classification of OA, its prevalence, incidence, risk factors and natural histor
Strategies for the prevention of knee osteoarthritis
No full textOsteoarthritis (OA) has been thought of as a disease of cartilage that can be effectively treated surgically at severe stages with joint arthroplasty. Today, OA is considered a whole-organ disease that is amenable to prevention and treatment at early stages. OA develops slowly over 10–15 years, interfering with activities of daily living and the ability to work. Many patients tolerate pain, and many health-care providers accept pain and disability as inevitable corollaries of OA and ageing. Too often, health-care providers passively await final 'joint death', necessitating knee and hip replacements. Instead, OA should be viewed as a chronic condition, where prevention and early comprehensive-care models are the accepted norm, as is the case with other chronic diseases. Joint injury, obesity and impaired muscle function are modifiable risk factors amenable to primary and secondary prevention strategies. The strategies that are most appropriate for each patient should be identified, by selecting interventions to correct—or at least attenuate—OA risk factors. We must also choose the interventions that are most likely to be acceptable to patients, to maximize adherence to—and persistence with—the regimes. Now is the time to begin the era of personalized prevention for knee OA
A preliminary study of changes in metatarsal bone mineral density following anti-TNF? therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthrtis
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