• Ilana N Ackerman, Rachelle Buchbinder, and Lyn March.
• Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
• Intern Med J. 2023 Oct 1; 53 (10): 187518821875-1882.

BackgroundUnderstanding population-level trends in osteoarthritis (OA) is critical for planning health services and disease prevention initiatives.AimTo examine trends in the burden of hip, knee, hand and other OA related conditions in Australia from 1990 to 2019 and consider the OA burden in the context of other common conditions associated with older age.MethodsGlobal Burden of Disease Study 2019 data for Australia on OA prevalence, OA-related years lived with disability (YLDs) and OA-related YLDs attributable to high body mass index (BMI) were sourced for 1990-2019. Age-standardised YLD data for ischaemic heart disease, stroke, dementia, type 2 diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were obtained for comparison.ResultsOverall, 3.20 million Australians were estimated to have OA in 2019, with substantial growth in the prevalence of hip (+171%), knee (+126%), hand (+110%) and other types of OA (+130%) from 1990 to 2019. Age-standardised prevalence rates reflect the contribution of population ageing. Concomitant growth in OA-related YLDs was also evident; knee OA and hand OA demonstrated the highest disease burden in 2019 (59 684 and 41 893 YLDs respectively). The proportion of knee OA burden attributable to high BMI was 36% in 2019. In 2019, age-standardised YLD rates were higher for OA (313 per 100 000 population) than other common conditions (range: 47 per 100 000 (ischaemic heart disease) to 284 per 100 000 (type 2 diabetes)).ConclusionsOA is an increasingly prevalent, impactful condition with a high non-fatal disease burden relative to other health conditions. Growth in OA populations and OA-related disability underscore the need for enhanced investment in prevention and management.© 2022 The Authors. Internal Medicine Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

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