Information for Patients & Caregivers

Arthritis in the young is 'getting more common'

New research has shown that the number of young people suffering from osteoarthritis has increased dramatically in the last decade.

It is believed that excessive alcohol intake and reduced levels of exercise among the youth of today could have caused the increase.

Orthopaedic surgeon Kaushal Malhan said: "Arthritis ... used to be found in older patients but now I have patients who are in their 20s."

He added that osteoarthritis was usually only found in people in their 50s but the incidence of the condition in the young is becoming more apparent. Moreover, Malhan claimed that rheumatoid arthritis, which used to have an average onset of about 40, can be found in people half that age.

According to the Observer, suffering a knee injury whilst young dramatically increases the likelihood a person will develop osteoarthritis later in their life.

The news provider claimed that people who have had knee problems in their youth are three times more likely to suffer from the progressive condition when they are 65 than those who suffered no knee injuries when they were younger.

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