Epidemiological trends and characteristics of osteoarthritis in China during 1990–2021

Background

This study aimed to comprehensively analyze the incidence, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of osteoarthritis (OA) in China from 1990 to 2021 by age, sex, joint sites, high body mass index (BMI) and sociodemographic index (SDI).

Methods

Data and methodologies from the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) Study 2021 were obtained to evaluate the burden of OA in China. This assessment was conducted by estimating the number of incident cases, prevalent cases, DALYs, and corresponding age-standardized rates (ASRs). The estimated annual percentage change was employed to delineate the trends over time.

Results

In China, the number of OA incidence cases, prevalence cases, and DALYs increased to 11.65 million, 152.85 million and 5.33 million in 2021, respectively, exhibiting a consistent upward trend over the years. The ASRs of OA incidence, prevalence, and DALYs rose 13.86 %, 14.34 %, and 16.23 % from 1990 to 2021, respectively, with knee OA most affected. In 2021, OA incidence, prevalence, and DALYs were higher in women than in men, and increased with age for both sexes, peaking at ages 50–54 for incidence and 55–59 for prevalence and DALYs. DALYs of OA attributed to high BMI increased rapidly, and high BMI contributed to 21.64 % of the total age-standardized DALYs rate of OA in China. Positive correlations were observed between ASRs and China's SDI from 1990 to 2021.

Conclusion

OA constitutes a significant public health challenge in China, with a persistently high disease burden. There is a pressing need to enhance public understanding of the risk factors associated with OA and to promote preventive strategies to mitigate the future burden of this disorder.

The translational potential of this article China has the largest elderly population and the highest prevalence of OA globally. Updating and analyzing epidemiological data of OA in China will offer the public, healthcare professionals, and policymakers the most current, comprehensive, and comparable information, which holds significant translational potential.