Osteoarthritis 2050 projections and its multiple mitigation challenges

Abstract

Osteoarthritis is increasingly being shown to be an immense costly public health problem among the older population that is not readily reversed. This brief examines 2023 data to establish what is being advanced to minimize the projected osteoarthritis burden and why this topic remains of great import. Using the key word: Older adults and Osteoarthritis the PUBMED, PubMed Central, and Google Scholar were explored for current 2023 articles of relevance. These data, while not all encompassing, reveal there is an urgent need to go beyond downstream surgical and narcotic remedies for ameliorating osteoarthritis pain and towards upstream preventive approaches, including the parallel role of health literacy and exercise interventions and their adherence. However, multiple challenges clearly prevail in this latter regard that warrant ongoing attention.