Osteoarthritis (OA), long considered a wear-and-tear disease of old age, is increasingly being diagnosed in patients as young as 30 years, according to a review by researchers published in the journal International Orthopaedics.
The review, published on May 15, reframes osteoarthritis as a heterogeneous syndrome rather than a single disease, driven by diverse biological, biomechanical, metabolic, genetic and molecular mechanisms.
The findings suggest that the traditional “one-size-fits-all” approach to treatment often fails because patients present with different underlying disease drivers.
“Osteoarthritis is no longer confined to the elderly. We are now seeing patients as young as 30, often driven by obesity and sedentary lifestyles,” said Dr Raju Vaishya, senior consultant Orthopaedic and Joint Replacement Surgeon at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals.
“This research makes clear that osteoarthritis is not a single disease but a spectrum of conditions, and recognising the specific phenotype in each patient allows us to deliver far more effective, personalised treatment than a one-size-fits-all approach,” Dr Vaishya added.
The review identifies six disease subtypes, including inflammatory, metabolic and pain-sensitisation variants, and recommends MRI-based tools alongside biomarker panels to guide treatment decisions.
This alarming shift comes as middle-income nations experience the steepest increase in musculoskeletal disorders from 1990 to 2021, with osteoarthritis affecting joints being the most affected musculoskeletal disorder globally.
The healthcare costs of musculoskeletal disorders linked with the ageing of a population were estimated at USD 96 billion in 2021, roughly 0.1 per cent of the world’s gross domestic product.
Researchers emphasize that recognising specific patient phenotypes and using advanced diagnostic tools will be critical for managing this growing health challenge in younger populations.
