Older Adults Experience Increase in Surgeries for Artificial Knees and Hips

Another topic has emerged from the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in New Orleans today. Two studies pertaining to artificial hip and knee replacement prevalence were presented earlier today.

The studies found that 2.5 million Americans are living with an artificial hip and 4.7 million are living with an artificial knee. Although these numbers only make up .8% and 1.5% of the total population, it is still a great amount of people who are requiring such procedures.

"These prevalence estimates are within the same ballpark as coronary heart disease, and much higher than heart failure or stroke," said Daniel Berry, MD, professor of orthopaedics at Mayo Clinic and senior author of one of the studies. "To put these numbers in perspective, there are roughly one and a half times as many people living with a hip or knee replacement in the U.S. as people living with heart failure."

What's even more alarming is the drastic increase of percentages when the sample pool is 50 years or older. The numbers jump from .8% to 2.3% and from 1.5% to 4.6%. The findings of these studies indicate the pervasiveness of arthritis. Different types of arthritis may contribute to a level of severity that requires a hip or knee replacement.

Osteoarthritis is the most common type, and if often related to aging or injury. Rheumatoid arthritis is a form of autoimmune arthritis, which occurs when your body's immune system attacks the healthy cells in your body, resulting in the ailment of joints. Infectious arthritis occurs when an infection spreads from another part of the body to a joint. You can read more about arthritis on MedicinePlus.

From 2000-2009 Total Knee Replacement (TKR) has increased over 120% and Total Hip Replacement (THR) has increased 73%. Medicare was found to be the primary payer for TKR and THR since 2000, and it still is, but decreased for TKRs by 8.6% and for THRs by 5.4%. This may indicate that hip and knee replacements are occurring at earlier ages, and that arthritis as well as other serious injuries are becoming more common.

To read more about the AAOS studies, visit this news release.