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OsteoArthritis or OA means a deterioration of the joints that becomes more common with age, with the knees and hands most often affected, with pain and stiffness ranging from mild to severe, most probably a consequence of what happens when the joint's normal mechanisms of repair and remodelling break down in later years.  OsteoArthritis is increasing as humans are living longer than their parents and their grand parents due to 'inter alia'  antibiotics, anti-cholesterol statins, anti-coagulants, blood pressure medications etc, and new medical advances. 

OsteoArthritis is the most common form of Arthritis which develops when articular cartilage (the smooth covering over bones in the joints) starts to break down. 

Degradation of the cartilage can be associated with underlying bone damage, thickening and bone-on-bone friction. Symptoms include stiffness, pain and tenderness in the joints and surrounding muscles and ligaments, possibly with fatigue, reduction in motor skills and deformities. The most common pattern of joint involvement in OA involves the major weight-bearing joints such as the hips, knees or lower spine, with neck and hands also being frequently affected sites. There is no single cause for OA, with identified risk factors including:

a)        being overweight;

b)        advancing age;

c)        hereditary factors;

d)        joint trauma (such as in sports injuries) and other metabolic or inflammatory disorders; and

e)        failure of joint repair and maintenance mechanisms. 

Because OA is more common in women, hormones (especially oestrogen) are suspected to have a relationship to OA.

The definition of Arthritis explains that Access Economics 2007 study Painful Realities: The economic impact of Arthritis in Australia in 2007 estimates that the indirect financial cost of OsteoArthritis in 2007 was more than $7 billion.  Direct Health System Costs on OsteoArthritis in Australia was almost $1.2 billion in 2000–01.  This was about 2.3% of the country’s total allocated Health System Costs for that financial year. A recent study estimated that population growth and inflation would have increased direct Health System Costs on OsteoArthritis to $2.3 billion in 2007 (Access Economics 2007).