The Biology of Osteoarthritis

Abstract

OSTEOARTHRITIS, "an almost inevitable consequence of aging,"1 is second only to cardiovascular diseases in producing severe chronic disability, and it affects nearly 10 percent of the population over the age of 60.2 This prevalence and its costs — billions of dollars in medications, surgery, and days lost from work3 — account for the growing interest in uncovering the basic mechanisms by which this disease affects human joints.4 5 6 7 8 9 Osteoarthritis can involve axial, or spinal, as well as peripheral joints — those that bear weight (such as the hips and knees) as well as those that do not (such as the distal . . .