Prof. Temitope Alonge, an Orthopaedic Surgeon and Chief Medical Director, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, has disclosed that up to 19.6 per cent of arthritis patients in South West Nigeria have osteoarthritis.
Alonge said this in a lecture he delivered at the on-going two-week training organised for doctors in Geriatric medicine.
He said this figure was obtained from a survey carried out on patients in Igboora, in the South West, using the arch model to examine their knees.
“The prevalence rate of Osteoarthritis in patients in South West stands at 19. 6 per cent; closely followed by that of the South East Nigeria with 19.7 per cent, with a female/male ratio of 1.3 : 1.
“The peak prevalence of 25.5 per cent was found in the 60 to 69 years age range,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training is organised by UCH in line with its mandate of training and research.
The training is themed: “Introducing Doctors to Emerging Care in Geriatric Medicine”.
Alonge defined osteoarthritis as the inflammation of the bones, adding that it is also referred to as a degenerative joint disease, which could not be cured but could be managed as the disease usually got worse with aging.
He said it was a chronic condition of the joints and could occur in the knees, hips, lower back and neck, small joints of the fingers and the bases of the thumb and big toe.
“In normal joints, a firm rubbery material called cartilage covers the end of each bone.
“Cartilage provides a smooth, gliding surface for joint motion and acts as a cushion between the bones, but in osteoarthritis, the cartilage breaks down, causing pain, swelling and problems moving the joint.
“As osteoarthritis worsens over time, bones may break down and develop growths called spurs. Bits of bones or cartilage may chip off and float around in the joint.
“In the body, anti-inflammatory process occurs and cytokines (proteins) and enzymes develop to further damage the cartilage.
“In the final stages of osteoarthritis, the cartilage wears away and bones rub against bones, causing joint damage and more pains,” he said.
Alonge explained that osteoarthritis occurs in people of all ages, used to be most common in people older than 55 years, but now occurs in people from 40 years and above.
“Common risk factors include: increasing age, gender, obesity, previous joint injury, over-use of joint (common in footballers), weak thigh muscles and genes.
“Out of the 200 types of the disease, the knee osteoarthritis was common in Africa, with the knee type being the most popular.
“One in 12 people 60 years and older have had osteoarthritis, while 80 per cent of people over 55 years in Nigeria take x-rays of their knees,’’ he said.
The health expert listed some of the symptoms of the disease to include, sore or stiff joints, particularly the knees, hips and lower back – after inactivity or overuse.
Other symptoms, according to him, are clicking or cracking sounds when a joint bends, mild swelling around joint and pain that is worse after activity or toward the end of the day.
“Osteoarthritis is a chronic long term disease. There is no cure, but treatments are available to manage symptoms
“Long term management of it will include several factors like physical activities, weight management, stretching of joints, pain and anti-inflammatory medications, physical and occupational therapy,” he said.
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