Are Men Or Women More Likely To Develop Osteoarthritis, And Why Is That The Case?

Dr. Roy Altman answers the question: 'Men, Women And Osteoarthritis Risk?'

ByABC News
November 21, 2008, 10:18 AM

— -- Question: Are men or women more likely to develop osteoarthritis, and why is that the case?

Answer: Osteoarthritis develops more commonly in women somewhere between the ages of 40 and 50 and increases in frequency as they get older. Men have lesser frequency of osteoarthritis at the age of 40 to 50. They may have a lot of osteoarthritis at an earlier age due to trauma. But then there's until the age of 70 or 80 where they start having as much osteoarthritis as women do. We don't really know the reasons for that. There doesn't seem to be any specific knowledge as to why that's so.

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