With increasing number of patients diagnosed with arthritis, it is slowly emerging as one of the most common ailments in India, threatening to be another major  lifestyle disease like diabetes and hypertension, according to medical experts.  

Lack of awareness about the disease and its long term effects is increasing the problems associated with it, especially among the the younger generation and  women. To address this growing disease burden there is a need for public awareness sessions organised by doctors where patients are educated on the do's and don'ts to ensure a long life with little or no joint pain along with a regime that is not only cost effective but also affordable to all.

India has about 35 to 40 per cent of people suffering from osteoarthritis of which about 30 per cent is above the age of 50, 40 per cent above the age of 60 and 50 per cent above the age of 70.  However, Dr Niraj L Vora, consultant orthopaedic joint replacement and trauma surgeon, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital points out that over the years there is an increase in the number of young patients diagnosed with symptomatic arthritis.

The main reason for this among the young can be attributed to either too much physical activity or  due to complete lack of activity. Dr Vora says, “The younger population is increasingly becoming more active with the advent of adventure sports which increases the stress on the hips and knees. This is leading to increasing number of patients who are in the young category, with symptomatic arthritis. On the other hand, a lot of young people are leading sedentary lives behind a desk at work, as a result, obesity is on the upswing and arthritis tends to develop when joints are subjected to excessive weight.

According to reports, over 18 per cent of India’s population suffers from arthritis with their number ranging from 180 to 200 million. There are over 100 different kinds of arthritis affecting people of all age groups, all of which affect one or more joints in the body.  

According to Dr Nilen Shah, orthopaedic consultant and joint replacement specialist from Sion based Kikabhai and Bombay Hospital, the most likely cause for women to be more prone to arthritis compared to men is that,  “Women have a wider pelvic bone and the lower limbs converge down from the pelvis, which can lead to a greater likelihood for limb misalignment in women which can predispose to knee arthritis. Apart from this, the incidence of obesity, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis is also more in women. Women also tend to outlive men in general and degenerative joint disease increases with age.”

Women are at a higher risk for rheumatoid arthritis and only way to prevent  the progression of the disease is by early detection and medication. There is a need to spread awareness about this disease, its symptoms, causes, treatment,and the necessary precautions required to ensure a healthier nation. Arthritis causes pain and swelling in the joints and thereby causes pain on movement, though initially the pain and restriction of movement is only on the extreme of movement later on even routine activities become painful. Dr Shah informs that if early treatment is taken, the  end stage arthritis can be avoided or at least delayed for a long time.

Dr Shah informs that over the years there have been many breakthroughs in the surgical treatment of knee arthritis and that the entire spectrum of treatments for arthritis is now available in India, starting from very good physiotherapy centres and rather effective, and safe, medications, all the way to joint replacement surgery.

However, Dr Vora feels that the biggest challenge when it comes to arthritis is patient education. A lot of patients are not fully aware of what arthritis is and what is the aim of the treatment. “Proper patient education and awareness in the general public regarding healthy lifestyles and regular exercise will go a long way in reducing the rate of disabling arthritis in the population,” he informs. Another problem he states is that some patients have unrealistic expectations following joint replacement surgery and these also have to be put into perspective and the patient needs to be counselled that following the operation, a modification of the lifestyle is inevitable.