Written By: Debjani Arora | Updated : October 12, 2017 4:28 PM IST
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that affects the joints due to cartilage loss that happens over a period of time. Cartilage is the protein that provides a cushioning effect between the joints. With time the cartilage erodes and this increases friction in the joints leading to decay. Some symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain in the joints, swollen joints and stiff joints among others. The most common reasons for osteoarthritis are age, heredity factors and previous trauma or injury. However, there is one more factor that makes one prone to osteoarthritis and that is gender. Osteoarthritis is more common in women than in men. And no we are not talking without a rational explanation over here; there are studies that confirm this fact. Interestingly, women suffer more from osteoarthritis of keen than men. Here are few reasons what makes them prone to this condition:
The knee cartilage volume: There is no denying the fact that the male and female musculoskeletal structures are different, so is their bone density and volume. One study suggests that the difference in knee cartilage volume is a crucial factor in deciding why women are more prone to osteoarthritis. Using analysis of sequential magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) it was observed that men had higher total tibial (tibia is the larger of the two bones present between knee and ankle) and patella (kneecap) cartilage than women. It also showed that women had significantly higher chances of patellar cartilage defects, thus making them prone to osteoarthritis. Here are six common causes of knee pain that you should know.
Anatomy of the knee joint: Apart from anatomical differences, kinematic differences also play a key role in the development of osteoarthritis in women. When knee movements were measured with regards to stop-jump tasks, it was seen that women demonstrated greater extension and valgus moments (range of motion) than men. This altered mechanics puts an abnormal pressure in the knees which makes women prone to osteoarthritis. In fact, women athletes are more prone to osteoarthritis than men. Here are five factors that increase your chances from suffering from arthritis.
Trauma to the knees: Another important factor that may put women at risk for osteoarthritis of the knees is a history of knee injury. It has been well established that women have increased incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and that these injuries lead to future osteoarthritis regardless of gender.
Hormones: Hormonal differences between men and women may play a role in the development of osteoarthritis. It is noticed that postmenopausal women have greater chances of developing arthritis and it is linked to decreased estrogen levels. However, women who take hormone replacement therapy postmenopause have lesser chances of developing the same. It appears that estrogen may have a beneficial effect on cartilage; however, the exact mechanism of this protection has yet to be studied in detail.
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Reference: Hame, S. L., & Alexander, R. A. (2013). Knee osteoarthritis in women. Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine, 6(2), 182-187.
