Arthritis Pain

Who is affected?

Men and women are both affected by osteoarthritis, but sources disagree on which sex suffers more: some say that women are much more likely to develop the disease, while others say that the rates are equal in men and women but that it tends to develop at an earlier age in men. It is agreed, however, that the disease becomes more common with age in everyone.

Factors that may increase a person's risk of developing osteoarthritis include:

• African ancestry
• a family history of osteoarthritis
• obesity
• joint damage due to an injury or to repetitive stress on a joint
• other diseases that can damage the joints