Osteoarthritis may increase threat of death because of lack of walking
15 March, 2020
New research has proven that persons with osteoarthritis are in an increased risk of premature death and that insufficient walking is the key contributing factor.
A study appearing in the journal RMD Open has demonstrated that persons who have osteoarthritis (OA) are much more likely than other persons to die prematurely.
When the researchers behind the study considered what preventable factors may be contributing to this, they discovered that lack of regular walking was a key issue.
In line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), OA is a kind of arthritis that mainly influences the joints of a person’s hips, hands, and knees.
OA develops when the cartilage between bone joints wears down, which in turn impacts the bones themselves.
The normal symptoms of OA are pain, aching, stiffness, and swelling in the afflicted joints, which will make it difficult for a person to remain mobile without significant support.
There is absolutely no cure for OA, so treatment typically targets relieving symptoms and increasing a person’s quality of life.
In line with the CDC, OA affects a lot more than 32.5 million adults in the usa.
Previous research has identified a connection between OA and mortality. However, experts do not fully understand the precise mechanisms behind this link.
The authors of the recent study set out to gain a better knowledge of these mechanisms, with the expectation that the info would help clinicians better support persons with OA and reduce their threat of mortality.
Large sample size
The study occurred over 10 years, during which the researchers monitored more than 10,000 people older than 50 years who had OA.
The team used a number of statistical methods to take into account other confounding factors that may also affect a person’s mortality.
After doing this, the authors discovered that people with OA have an 11% greater threat of premature death than those without the problem.
Predicated on previous research, the authors then looked at three factors that may affect this increased risk of death: walking, depression and anxiety, and unrefreshed sleep.
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Lack of walking associated with mortality
They discovered that the strongest association between OA and premature death was in persons who didn't walk very often.
Although unrefreshed sleep and depression and anxiety also seemed to increase the likelihood of death, the authors argued that the difference was too small to be clinically relevant.
As a consequence, a key finding of the study is that clinicians should prioritize keeping people with OA active to lessen their threat of death.
The authors remember that previous research has indicated a connection between walking disabilities and mortality. Being active has major health benefits and helps your body combat various diseases that may cause death.
Interestingly, however, a substantial number of the study participants reported that they were not regularly walking so far as they felt they could.
This finding shows that there is room for clinicians to explore means of helping persons with OA to walk more within the limitations of their condition.
As the authors of the analysis note, “Smaller amounts of regular walking and escaping . and about may offer protection against comorbidity, including depression and CVD [cardiovascular disease].”
Although doctors do not typically consider OA to be life threatening, the study makes it clear a significant number of men and women will die because of the condition. Therefore, encouraging these individuals to walk as regularly as their health allows is an integral way to combat this risk.
As Dr. Ross Wilkie, a senior lecturer in public health and epidemiology at Keele University, United Kingdom, says, “Associated with a population health approach, encouraging persons to be more active despite having osteoarthritis is important.”
Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com