Risk Factors for Osteoarthritis
- Age
- Obesity
- Trauma
- Genetics (significant family history)
- Reduced levels of sex hormones
- Muscle weakness
- Repetitive use (e.g., jobs requiring heavy labor and bending)
- Infection
- Diabetes mellitus
- Acromegaly
- Previous inflammatory arthritis (e.g., burnt-out rheumatoid arthritis)
- Heritable metabolic causes (e.g., alkaptonuria, hemochromatosis, Wilson disease)
- Hemoglobinopathies (e.g., sickle cell disease and thalassemia)
- Neuropathic disorders leading to a Charcot joint (e.g., syringomyelia, tabes dorsalis, and diabetes)
- Underlying morphologic risk factors (e.g., congenital hip dislocation and slipped femoral capital epiphysis)
- Disorders of bone (e.g., Paget disease and avascular necrosis)
- Previous surgical procedures (e.g., meniscectomy)