Factors Associated with Osteoarthritis of the Hip and Knee in Hong Kong Chinese: Obesity, Joint Injury, and Occupational Activities

Abstract

In 1998, a case-control study was conducted in Hong Kong on hospital patients with osteoarthritis of the hip (n = 138) and osteoarthritis of the knee (n = 658). Age- and sex-matched controls were recruited consecutively from general practice clinics in the same region. The following three risk factors were found to be associated with osteoarthritis of both the hip and the knee: first, a history of joint injury: for osteoarthritis of the hip, the odds ratio = 25.1 (95% confidence interval (CI): 3.5, 181) in men and 43.3 (95% CI: 11.7, 161) in women; for osteoarthritis of the knee, the odds ratio = 12.1 (95% CI: 3.4, 42.5) in men and 7.6 (95% CI: 3.8, 15.2) in women; second, climbing stairs frequently: for osteoarthritis of the hip, the odds ratio = 12.5 (95% CI: 1.5, 104.3) in men and 2.3 (95% CI: 0.6, 8.1) in women; for osteoarthritis of the knee, the odds ratio = 2.5 (95% CI: 1.0, 6.4) in men and 5.1 (95% CI: 2.5, 10.2) in women; third, lifting heavy weight frequently: for osteoarthritis of the hip, the odds ratio = 3.1 (95% CI: 0.7, 14.3) in men and 2.4 (95% CI: 1.1, 5.3) in women; for osteoarthritis of the knee, the odds ratio = 5.4 (95% CI: 2.4, 12.4) in men and 2.0 (95% CI: 1.2, 3.1) in women. In addition, subjects whose height and weight were in the highest quartile were at increased risk of osteoarthritis of the hip and knee, respectively (p < 0.05).

Gender differences in the relations between work-related physical and psychosocial risk factors and musculoskeletal complaints

“…Neither study found a gender difference. Two studies (70,71) found a gender difference for kneeling (gender ratio 0.33-0.64), and, in one study (69), a gender ratio of 1.27 was found for squatting. Since the results of these studies were not consistent, there is inconclusive evidence for a gender difference for kneeling or squatting.…”

“…Much walking was a larger risk factor for men in two out of four low-quality case-control studies (71,72), with gender ratios from 0.36 to 0.72. The third study showed no difference between men and women, while, in the fourth, gender ratios of 1.36 and 1.88 were found.…”

Major public health benefits of physical activity

“…Several other studies report that moderate-intensity physical activity over time also does not seem to increase the risk of osteoarthritis (48 -51). However, long-term participation in high-impact sports (such as some track and field events) and torsional sports (such as football and racquet sports) has been associated with an increased incidence of osteoarthritis (49,(52)(53)(54). Some theories suggest that the increased risk of osteoarthritis among sport participants is related to joint injuries, not necessarily the activity itself.…”

Osteoarthritis and the Tactical Athlete: A Systematic Review

“…A substantial amount of evidence in the literature suggests that high-level occupation-related physical demands, particularly those that involve frequent and repetitive bending, squatting, kneeling, lifting, and climbing, may be associated with knee 6,9,53-57 and hip [56][57][58][59] OA. In the current systematic review, we observed that military rank and branch of military service were associated with the incidence of OA.…”