Gender Differences in Osteoarthritis of Knee: An Indian Perspective

The global burden of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is on the rise with advancing age, as life expectancy is improving worldwide. The literature shows a higher prevalence and incidence of KOA in women. The gender differences are seen not only in the developing world but also in the developed world. KOA at advanced stage can be quite disabling affecting the individuals' functioning capacity. The available treatment modalities can improve the quality of life significantly. The aim of this review is to study the gender differences in epidemiological and clinical aspects of KOA in Indian population.

The keywords "knee osteoarthritis, Gender, India," "knee osteoarthritis, Sex, India," and "knee osteoarthritis, Prevalence, India" are used for data search for retrieving data from Indian studies in MEDLINE and Google Scholar. The broad inclusion criteria were clinical and radiological diagnosis of KOA, inclusive of both men and women and excluded articles with rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory arthritis, and secondary causes of arthritis.

A total of 18 articles were found to fulfill the broad inclusive criteria. Majority of the articles were cross-sectional prevalence studies either done in a community setup or in tertiary care hospitals. The overall prevalence of KOA in these studies ranges from 27.1% to 66.1%, depending on the lower age limit of the study population. Postmenopausal women are affected more than premenopausal women. High body mass index, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and osteoporosis were the common comorbid conditions.

The gender difference in the incidence and prevalence is seen in several cross-sectional studies and case series in the Indian literature. However, there is a paucity of data on clinical presentation, progression of the diseases, disability scoring at various stages of the KOA, and management.