Americans Getting Knee Arthritis Sooner

Americans are getting arthritis of the knee at younger ages, new research finds. Both obesity and knee injuries have been increasing. These may be the main reasons for earlier arthritis, the study suggests. Researchers looked at the average age of diagnosis for knee osteoarthritis. The average was 69 in the 1990s. By the current decade, the average was 56. About 5% of cases now are among people ages 45 to 54. Twenty years ago, only 1.5% were diagnosed in this age group. The research was presented at a conference. Other research looked at the effect of sports on knee osteoarthritis. The study combined results of previous studies on this topic. People who played specific sports were 3 to 6 times as likely as nonplayers to develop knee osteoarthritis. This risk was seen in amateur or elite soccer players.