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Editorial
Women are disproportionately impacted by knee and hip osteoarthritis: why does this happen and how can we address it?
  1. Andrea M Bruder1,2,
  2. Melissa J Haberfield2,
  3. Michael J M O'Brien2,3,
  4. Joanne L Kemp2
  1. 1 Discipline of Physiotherapy, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  2. 2 Latrobe Sport Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  3. 3 Melbourne Orthopaedic Group, Windsor, Victoria, Australia
  1. Correspondence to Dr Andrea M Bruder, Discipline of Physiotherapy, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia; a.bruder{at}latrobe.edu.au

https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2024-108688

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    Knee and hip osteoarthritis (OA) are leading causes of global disability in women and men and increase the risk of other chronic diseases (eg, diabetes and heart disease).1 However, women experience a disproportionate OA burden compared to men, including higher rates of OA and pain, and worse functional ability.2 The greatest risk factor for knee OA in girls and young women (16–45 years) is a traumatic knee injury, particularly to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).3 Radiographic OA is evident in 50% of knees within 10 years after traumatic knee injury.3 Our systematic review (242 studies: 123 687 people; 43% women) also revealed that women experience worse self-reported symptoms and reduced activity after ACL injury compared to men.4

    Unlike the knee, the greatest risk factor for the development of hip OA in young women is not traumatic but rather insidious, that is developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Up to 20% of children and adolescents have DDH,5 with 80% of those affected being girls and young women.6 Our systematic review found young adults with DDH have pain impacting sleep, work, sport, exercise and social activities.7

    Knee and hip OA in girls and women: a critical problem

    Australia has the world’s highest and fastest growing rate of traumatic knee injuries, with more rapid growth in annual knee injury incidence among girls/women (3.0% per year, 95% CI 2.3% to 3.8%) compared with boys/men (1.3% per year, 95% CI 0.7% …

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    Footnotes

    • X @AndreaBruder, @melhabphysio, @MikeJMOBrien, @JoanneLKemp

    • Contributors AMB and JLK designed the study. AMB and JLK wrote the initial draft, and all authorscritically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content and approved the finalversion. AMB is the guarantor.

    • Funding JLK is a recipient of a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia Investigator Grant (2017844). This research was funded in part by the National Health and Medical Research Council (GNT2017844). For the purposes of open access, the author has applied a CC BY public copyright licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission’.

    • Disclaimer The funders had no role in any part of the study or in any decision about publication.

    • Competing interests JLK is an editor for the British Journal of Sports Medicine. No other competing interests to declare.

    • Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.