Prevalence Trends of Site‐Specific Osteoarthritis From 1990 to 2019: Findings From the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Objective To estimate systematic and anatomic site–specific age‐standardized prevalence rates (ASRs) and analyze the secular trends of osteoarthritis (OA) at global, regional, and national levels. Methods Data were derived from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. ASRs and their estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) were used to describe the secular trends of OA according to age group, sex, region, country, and territory, as well as the joints involved. Results Globally, prevalent cases of OA increased by 113.25%, from 247.51 million in 1990 to 527.81 million in 2019. ASRs were 6,173.38 per 100,000 in 1990 and 6,348.25 per 100,000 in 2019, with an average annual increase of 0.12% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.11%, 0.14%). The ASR of OA increased for the knee, hip, and other joints, but decreased for the hand, with EAPCs of 0.32 (95% CI 0.29, 0.34), 0.28 (95% CI 0.26, 0.31), 0.18 (95% CI 0.18, 0.19), and −0.36 (95% CI −0.38, −0.33), respectively. OA prevalence increased with age and revealed female preponderance, geographic diversity, and disparity with regard to anatomic site. OA of the knee contributed the most to the overall burden, while OA of the hip had the highest EAPC in most regions. Conclusion OA has remained a major public health concern worldwide over the past decades. The prevalence of OA has increased and diversified by geographic location and affected joint. Prevention and early treatment are pivotal to mitigating the growing burden of OA.