Osteoarthritis is a major cause of disability in both the developed and developing world. With the population aging, the prevalence of osteoarthritis is increasing and its consequences are impacting significantly on society. This is one of the reasons why osteoarthritis has been adopted as a major focus (along with osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, back pain, and musculoskeletal trauma) by the global initiative-the Decade of Bone and Joint Disease. Adequate studies on the costs of osteoarthritis are urgently required so that cogent arguments can be made to governments to appropriately fund prevention and treatment programs for this condition. Its recognition as a major cause of disability, particularly in the aging population, should increase community focus on this important condition.
Abbreviations:COX cyclooxygenase, DALY disability-adjusted life years, QWB quality of well being
Osteoarthritis remains one of the most common forms of musculoskeletal disease in the world. Osteoarthritis is the fourth most frequent predictor of health problems worldwide in women and the eighth most common predictor in men [1]. Approximately 40% of adults older than the age of 70 suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee, 80% of people with osteoarthritis have limitation of movement, and 25% cannot perform their major daily activities of living [2]. Osteoarthritis is one of the major diseases being profiled during the Decade of Bone and Joint Disease. There is little doubt that with the population aging musculoskeletal diseases such as osteoarthritis will have significant individual, societal, and economic implications around the world.