Childhood Physical Abuse Linked to Osteoarthritis in Adulthood

Researchers focus on finding the causes or predisposing factors for various diseases and conditions. Osteoarthritis is no different. Osteoarthritis, which is the most common type of arthritis, has been tied to age, overweight, and previous injury, among other things. As for previous injury, you probably are thinking of a broken bone -- perhaps from a sports injury or accident -- that can cause problems years later.

According to a report published online October 29, 2009 in Arthritis Care & Research, childhood physical abuse and early-life trauma has been linked to the development of adult osteoarthritis. There were more than 11,000 respondents to the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey which was used in the study. After adjusting for certain factors, researchers concluded that the association between childhood physical abuse and osteoarthritis was significant. Further studies are needed to determine how osteoarthritis develops as a consequence of childhood physical abuse.

Related Resources:

• Osteoarthritis Risk Factors
• Overweight Increases Risk of Osteoarthritis
• Joint Injury Increases Risk of Osteoarthritis
• Does Aging Cause Osteoarthritis?

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