Prevalence of knee osteoarthritis in the Chinese population, 2013-2023: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is the primary cause of lower-limb disability and poses a substantial socio-economic burden. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to assess the prevalence of KOA in the Chinese population between 2013 and 2023.

Eight databases were searched, in addition to a grey Literature search and manual retrieval, to comprehensively collect cross-sectional studies on the prevalence of KOA in China. Stata 18.0 was used to perform a meta-analysis of the KOA prevalence data included in this study. Furthermore, a narrative review was conducted to evaluate the impact of gender, age, Body Mass Index (BMI), region, and other factors on the prevalence of KOA.

The meta-analysis demonstrated that the overall prevalence of KOA in China from 2013 to 2023 was 28.0%. Subgroup analysis indicated a prevalence of 33.9% in women and 20.5% in men. The highest prevalence was observed in the 60-69 age group (32.8%), followed by those aged ≥ 80 and 70-79 years. The highest prevalence was observed in individuals with a BMI ≥ 28 kg/m², at 50.5%. Prevalence in northern China was 4.5% higher than in southern regions. Prevalence in high-altitude regions was 22.6% higher than in low-altitude regions. The prevalence rates in rural and urban areas were similar.

Over the past decade, the prevalence of KOA in China has remained high and increased with age, particularly among women. It is strongly associated with BMI and environmental factors. A large-scale KOA survey should be conducted nationwide to monitor the disease's development trends and avoid associated risk factors.

PROSPERO, identifier CRD42024590187.