Hyderabad: Osteoarthritis in youth a concern, say doctors

HYDERABAD: An increasing number of people (between 35 and 45) in the city are being diagnosed with osteoarthritis, say doctors. While people in this age group previously accounted for nearly 5-6 per cent of the overall cases of osteoarthritis, they are now accounting for 20-25 per cent of overall cases now.

This debilitating problem, beginning early in life, reduces the quality of life drastically by restricting one’s movement, apart from causing severe pain and swelling. “Osteoarthritis is degeneration of the joints. Osteoarthritis affects various joints of the body, including knees, hips and hands. The condition is progressive,” said Dr Sai Laxman Anne, head of department orthopaedic surgery, KIMS Kondapur.

Dr Sai Laxman said that a disturbingly high number of youngsters with stage-2 degeneration were walking into the OPDs nowadays. “Sitting jobs, lack of exercises, weight gain and low exposure to sunlight are the main reasons for osteoarthritis among the youth,” he said.

It is best not to avoid any joint pains if they start affecting the way one walks or is restricting normal activity. In such cases, seeking immediate help is important, say specialists.

“It happens when the cartilage in the joints starts getting damaged. In youngsters, old neglected injuries is often the cause but nowadays we are seeing many cases among people who are just 30 years. Junk food and fried food are rich in oxidants and harmful for the cartilage. Also, obesity is a high risk factor for osteoarthritis,” said Dr Saketh Kolla, consultant joint replacement and regenerative orthopaedic surgeon, Gleneagles Global Hospital.

While previously, onset of osteoarthritis was seen among people in the age group of 55-60, but this has changed of late. “While osteoarthritis is not reversible in later stages, if detected early, it could be controlled with medication, physiotherapy, cartilage supplements and lifestyle changes. Progression of the disease can be stopped,” said Dr Kaushik Reddy, consultant orthopaedic surgeon, Apollo Hospitals.

Dr Kaushik said he comes across at least 10 patients in their 30s every month. “The numbers are only increasing. We are also seeing a lot of cases of patella-femoral arthritis, which is inflammation of the knee cap, among younger patients,” he said. He attributes this to obesity. “In such cases, arterial knee pain is seen. Although they may not have pain while walking, pain is felt while squatting or using the stairs,” he explained.