[Cartilage/chondrocyte research and osteoarthritis. Epidemiology of Osteoarthritis in Japan.]

The prevalence of osteoarthritis(OA)in the knees, lumbar spine, hip joints, and hand joints was examined using the results of the X-ray survey performed in a population-based cohort entitled ROAD. The prevalence of knee OA was estimated as 54.6%(men 42.0%, women 61.5%), lumbar spondylosis as 70.2%(men 80.6%, women 64.6%), hip OA as 15.7%(men 18.2%, women 14.3%), and hand OA as 91.5%(men 89.9%, women 92.3%). The prevalence of OA in the knee, lumbar spine, and hip joints together was observed in 7.2% of the study population. We also examined the relationship of OA with age, gender, and body build.