Obese osteoarthritis patients to lose weight

Losing weight may prevent and alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis in obese people, says a paper published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Scientists from the University of Colorado reviewed the literature and found that obesity could trigger the inflammatory and biomechanical changes that cause osteoarthritis.
“There’s a clear link between obesity and osteoarthritis, and the link is both from biomechanical factors as well as systemic factors,” says study author, Dr Ryan Koonce. “The systemic component appears to be significant.”

The report outlines than about 50% of osteoarthritis cases of the knee in the US could be avoided if obesity was removed as a risk factor. Being heavy increases wear on joints. And white adipose tissue, which composes about 20% of the body weight, plays a role in inflammation and is found in abundance in obese people.

The experts involved in the study say that losing weight could restore function, reduce pain and improve quality of life in people in the US with osteoarthritis, and estimate that over 110,000 total knee replacements could be avoided.

“It’s important that doctors are aware of the different ways that obesity causes arthritis not only for treatment but for prevention of the condition,” said Dr Jonathan Bravman from the University of Colorado. “We are underutilising weight loss as a primary treatment option for arthritis and joint pain.”