Increased Obesity Rate Related to the Need for Knee Surgery Early in Life, Studies | Health

An increase in the number of people undergoing knee replacement early in life is associated with an increase in obesity rates, new studies show.

A study led by an orthopedist investigated patients in need of knee replacement for osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis that affects joints. This study used the latest data available from all over the Australian Bureau of Statistics. health Survey and National Joint Replacement Registry of the Australian Orthopedic Association.

Researchers categorized patients by body mass index (BMI) and age, and examined the distribution of age and weight among patients compared to the general population. They found that as BMI increased, they were more likely to undergo knee replacement.

During the period of the survey (2017-2018), 35.6% of Australian adults were overweight and 31.3% were obese.

Of the 56,217 patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis at the same time, 31.9% were overweight and 57.7% were obese.

Body mass index is a value calculated from a person’s weight and height. BMI Defective In particular, it is a value for measuring obesity in women, Not necessarily an accurate measure of health and body fatA healthy BMI for adults is generally considered to be 20-25.

People with a BMI of 30 or higher were considered “class 1” obesity, those with a BMI of 35 or higher were considered “class 2” obesity, and those with a BMI of 40 or higher were considered “class 3” obesity.

According to the paper, class 1, 2, and 3 obese women between the ages of 55 and 64 were more likely to undergo knee replacement 5, 8 and 17 times, respectively, than women of normal weight. Men of the same age and BMI category were 3, 4.5, and 6 times more likely to undergo knee replacement, respectively.

Class 3 obese patients underwent knee replacement on average 7 years younger than patients with a range of BMI considered healthy.

The average age of normal weight women undergoing knee arthroplasty in Australia is 71 years, while class 3 obese women receive total knee arthroplasty at the average age of 64. For men, this is 71 and 64, respectively.

Australia One of the countries with the highest obesity rate in the worldAnd in 2017-19, Australia was ranked 5th among OECD countries for obesity.

“Australia had more than 57,000 total knee arthroplasty in 2019, an increase of 161% from 2003,” the newspaper said.

“The annual incidence of knee replacement is projected to exceed 161,000 procedures by 2030.”

Dr. Chris Wall, lead author of the study and senior lecturer at the University of Queensland Rural Clinical School, found that moderate weight loss reduced the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis, resulting in a 10% weight loss. Obese patients who maintained experienced a significant improvement in pain and functioned.

“Changing approaches to reducing obesity requires urgent action at the national level, or Australia could increase the burden of total knee arthroplasty in the future,” he said. ..

This paper has been added to existing studies on weight and knee surgery. A another paper Published in 2021, led by the Translational Orthopedic Research Center in Perth, obesity was found to significantly increase the incidence of total knee arthroplasty between the ages of 18 and 54.

Guardian Australia is seeking comment from the Australian Orthopedic Association.

Dr. Omar Khorshid, an orthopedic surgeon in Perth, said obesity is more complicated than telling people to eat and exercise. He said people need professional and interdisciplinary support to lose weight.

“There are shortages like preventative public health services for us to refer patients,” he said.

“My public hospital cannot refer obese patients to nutritionists. They do not accept hospital referrals.

“There is really nothing available other than private care. It’s expensive. Therefore, many patients can only suggest lifestyle changes to lose weight, or physiotherapy to build strength. But I can’t easily give you the help of an expert.

“Instead, they will undergo joint replacement,” Khorshid said.