Osteoarthritis a chronic disease?

Is osteoarthritis a chronic disease and no age-related wear of the joints?

(04.07.2010) According to the orthopedic professor Henning Madry, osteoarthritis is not a so-called age-related wear and tear disease, but a chronic disease that can affect even young people. Thus, Madry contradicts the input opinion of the medical experts. One should say goodbye to the idea that osteoarthritis would be a disease caused by age-related wear and tear of cartilage, the orthopedic professor said.

The orthopedist and head of the Laboratory for Experimental Orthopedics at the University Hospital Homburg / Saar, Prof. Henning Madry, contradicts the common medical opinion that osteoarthritis would be an age-related deterioration of the joints. Rather, osteoarthritis would be a chronic disease such as diabetes or asthma. In Saarbrücken, the doctor said, one should say goodbye to the idea that cartilage rub off due to age. Because not only older people are affected by the disease, but increasingly younger. By contrast, many older people have no symptoms at all and there are no signs of osteoarthritis. "Many younger people today are affected by osteoarthritis, while some 90-year-olds shows no signs of it," concludes Prof. Madry. There are various forms of osteoarthritis, such as the Rhizarthrose (thumb arthrosis) in which, among other things, patients report on a pain in the thumb.

The different forms of osteoarthritis are now as widespread as cardiovascular diseases. That's why doctors already speak of a widespread disease. One in ten Germans complain of joint pain, about two million Germans suffer from arthritis. The causes of osteoarthritis can be quite different. Often, the elastic articular cartilage would be damaged by accidents and injuries during sports. Many other causes have not yet been researched. Madry now wants to explore the causes and try different variants of cartilage replacement. For this purpose, a foundation has been set up, whose funding is secured for five years. The Deutsche Arthrosehilfe e.V. has donated the new professorship of Madry at the University of the Saarland for the first five years.

In the late stages of osteoarthritis sufferers can hardly move their joints. However, arthrosis can also be asymptomatic and cause no pain. Typical, however, are start-up and load-dependent pain as well as joint complaints. Other typical symptoms include joint effusion, increased deformity of the joint and joint noises. (Sb)