Prevalence of Hip Osteoarthritis Varies by Geography and Age, Not Sex

Incidence of hip osteoarthritis (OA) differs by geographic region not by sex, according to the findings of a systematic review and meta-analysis published in Arthritis Research & Therapy.

Between 1990 and 2019, OA cases increased by 113.25%.

To evaluate the prevalence of hip OA, researchers from Zhejiang University School of Medicine in China searched publication databases through August 2022.

A total of 31 studies including 359,251 individuals were in the analysis. The studies were of cross-sectional (n=29) or cohort (n=2) designs and were conducted in Europe (n=12), North America (n=11), Asia (n=7), and Africa (n=1). Overall, 7 radiographic hip OA diagnostic methods were used and prevalence rates (PR) differed significantly on the basis of diagnostic method (P <.001).

Using Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2 or greater classification to define hip OA, the prevalence was 12.59% (95% CI, 7.17%-19.25%; I2=99.4%) in Europe, 7.95% (95% CI, 1.98%-17.36%; I2=99.8%) in North America, 4.26% (95% CI, 0.02%-14.93%; I2=99.8%) in Asia, and 1.20% (95% CI, 0.44%-2.59%) in Africa, which significantly differed by location (P <.001).

Rates of hip OA also differed significantly on the basis of age (P <.05) which explained 11.5% of the variation in rates. In general, the prevalence was less than 10% at age 30 years and approaching 30% at age 90 years.

However, there was no difference in the rate of hip OA between men (prevalence rate [PR], 9.42%; 95% CI, 4.81%-15.34%; I2=99.7%) and women (PR, 7.94%; 95% CI, 3.57%-13.81%; I2=99.7%).

The limitations of the analysis included the low representation from Africa and the lack of representation from South America or the Pacific; the significant heterogeneity in all comparisons; and the overall small sample size.

These trends led the researchers to conclude, "The findings point to the need for more high-quality epidemiological studies in the future on the prevalence of [hip] OA, particularly in under-represented regions such as Africa, Oceania, and South America."

Fan Z, Yan L, Liu H, et al. The prevalence of hip osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta‑analysis. Arthritis Res Ther. 2023;25(1):51. doi:10.1186/s13075-023-03033-7