Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Age, bodyweight, smoking habits and the risk of severe osteoarthritis in the hip and knee in men

  • Locomotor Diseases
  • Published:
European Journal of Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background:The objective of this study was to estimate the risk of severe osteoarthritis, with the need for arthroplasty, in the knee and/or hip according to body mass index (BMI) both within a normal range and in persons with high BMI. Furthermore, we wanted to study the significance of smoking. Methods: This study identifies male construction workers participating in a national health control program (n = 320,192). The incidence rate for joint replacement was found by matching with the Swedish hospital discharge register between 1987 and 1998. BMI and smoking habit was registered at the time of the health examination. Results: In total 1495 cases of osteoarthritis of the hip and 502 cases of osteoarthritis of the knee were identified and included in this analysis. The incidence rate was found to increase linearly to the BMI even within low and ‚normal BMI. The relative risk for osteoarthritis of the hip was more than two times higher in persons with a BMI of 20–24 than in men with a BMI 17–19. There was almost a doubling of the risk of severe knee osteoarthritis with an increase in BMI of 5 kg/m2. Smoker had a lower risk of osteoarthritis than non-smokers and ex-smokers. Conclusions: BMI is an important predictor of osteoarthritis even within normal BMI. A decreased risk of osteoarthritis of the hip was found in smokers, but the effect was weak compared to that of BMI or age. Contrary to studies of radiographic osteoarthritis our study indicates higher risk of hip than of knee osteoarthritis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. DT Felson RC Lawrence PA Dieppe et al. (2000) ArticleTitleOsteoarthritis: New insights. Part 1: The disease and its risk factors Ann Intern Med 133 IssueID8 635–646 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DC%2BD3M%2Fht1SitA%3D%3D Occurrence Handle11033593

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. EC Lau C Cooper D Lam VN Chan KK Tsang A Sham (2000) ArticleTitleFactors associated with osteoarthritis of the hip and knee in Hong Kong Chinese: Obesity, joint injury, and occupational activities Am J Epidemiol 152 IssueID9 855–862 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DC%2BD3M%2FkslCrsg%3D%3D Occurrence Handle11085397

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. SA Oliveria DT Felson JI Reed PA Cirillo AM Walker (1995) ArticleTitleIncidence of symptomatic hand, hip, and knee osteoarthritis among patients in a health maintenance organization Arthritis Rheum 38 IssueID8 1134–1141 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:ByqA28jgslM%3D Occurrence Handle7639811

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. E Vingard (1991) ArticleTitleOverweight predisposes to coxarthrosis. Body-mass index studied in 239 males with hip arthroplasty Acta Orthop Scand 62 IssueID2 106–109 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:By6C1MnkvFE%3D Occurrence Handle2014716

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. T Sturmer KP Gunther H Brenner (2000) ArticleTitleObesity, overweight and patterns of osteoarthritis: The Ulm Osteoarthritis Study J Clin Epidemiol 53 IssueID3 307–313 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DC%2BD3c3isF2gsQ%3D%3D Occurrence Handle10760642

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. GB Flugsrud L Nordsletten B Espehaug LI Havelin HE Meyer (2002) ArticleTitleRisk factors for total hip replacement due to primary osteoarthritis: A cohort study in 50,034 persons Arthritis Rheum 46 IssueID3 675–682 Occurrence Handle11920403

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. AC Gelber MC Hochberg LA Mead NY Wang FM Wigley MJ Klag (1999) ArticleTitleBody mass index in young men and the risk of subsequent knee and hip osteoarthritis Am J Med 107 IssueID6 542–548 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DC%2BD3c%2FovVemuw%3D%3D Occurrence Handle10625021

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. S Tepper MC Hochberg (1993) ArticleTitleFactors associated with hip osteoarthritis: Data from the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES-I) Am J Epidemiol 137 IssueID10 1081–1088 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:ByyA3cvjsFM%3D Occurrence Handle8317437

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. C Cooper H Inskip P Croft et al. (1998) ArticleTitleIndividual risk factors for hip osteoarthritis: Obesity, hip injury, and physical activity Am J Epidemiol 147 IssueID6 516–522 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DyaK1c7otVCksA%3D%3D Occurrence Handle9521177

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. DT Felson JJ Anderson A Naimark MT Hannan WB Kannel RF Meenan (1989) ArticleTitleDoes smoking protect against osteoarthritis? Arthritis Rheum 32 IssueID2 166–172 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:BiaC2cbotl0%3D Occurrence Handle2920052

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. DT Felson Y Zhang MT Hannan et al. (1997) ArticleTitleRisk factors for incident radiographic knee osteoarthritis in the elderly: The Framingham Study Arthritis Rheum 40 IssueID4 728–733 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:ByiB2cvjtVw%3D Occurrence Handle9125257

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. H Sandmark E Vingard (1999) ArticleTitleSports and risk for severe osteoarthrosis of the knee Scand J Med Sci Sports 9 IssueID5 279–284 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DyaK1MvktVOmuw%3D%3D Occurrence Handle10512208

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. T Ingvarsson (2000) ArticleTitlePrevalence and inheritance of hip osteoarthritis in Iceland Acta Orthop Scand Suppl 298 1–46 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DC%2BD3M3ntFKjtg%3D%3D Occurrence Handle11338422

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. G Berry (1983) ArticleTitleThe analysis of mortality by the subject-years method Biometrics 39 173–184 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:BiyB2Mjls1U%3D Occurrence Handle6871346

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. MT Hannan DT Felson T Pincus (2000) ArticleTitleAnalysis of the discordance between radiographic changes and knee pain in osteoarthritis of the knee J Rheumatol 27 IssueID6 1513–1517 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DC%2BD3cvotlGhsQ%3D%3D Occurrence Handle10852280

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. M Ostendorf O Johnell H Malchau WJA Dhert AJP Schrijvers AJ Verbout (2002) ArticleTitleThe epidemiology of total hip replacement in The Netherlands and Sweden: Present status and future needs Acta Orthop 73 IssueID3 282–286

    Google Scholar 

  17. H Sandmark C Hogstedt S Lewold E Vingard (1999) ArticleTitleOsteoarthrosis of the knee in men and women in association with overweight, smoking, and hormone therapy Ann Rheum Dis 58 IssueID3 151–155 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DyaK1M3ptlantA%3D%3D Occurrence Handle10364912

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, S-901 87, Umeå, Sweden

    Bengt Järvholm

  2. Department of Orthopedics, Lund University, Lund , Sweden

    Stefan Lewold

  3. Department of Orthopedics, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Henrik Malchau

  4. Section of Personal Injury Prevention, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

    Eva Vingård

Authors
  1. Bengt Järvholm
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stefan Lewold
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Henrik Malchau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Eva Vingård
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bengt Järvholm.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Järvholm, B., Lewold, S., Malchau, H. et al. Age, bodyweight, smoking habits and the risk of severe osteoarthritis in the hip and knee in men. Eur J Epidemiol 20, 537–542 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-005-4263-x

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-005-4263-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation