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Osteoarthritis of the Hip (Hip Arthritis): "Degenerative Joint Disease" can cause pain, stiffness, and cartilage breakdown
Edited By: Seth S. Leopold, M.D.
Last updated Friday, January 18, 2008
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Incidence and risk factorsIncidence It is not possible to predict who will get osteoarthritis
of the hip. However, there are some risk factors that may increase the
likelihood that hips will become arthritic. These risk factors include:
- Genetics.
Arthritis often runs in families.
- Childhood
hip diseases including developmental hip dysplasia (DDH), Legg-Calve-Perthe’s
Disease, and slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) all can predispose an
individual to premature hip arthritis.
- Acquired
conditions, such as avascular necrosis (osteonecrosis), can result in hip
arthritis if left untreated or if treatment fails.
- Variations in hip anatomy (the shape of the hip joint itself),
including a condition called femoroacetabular impingement, can cause
the hip to become arthritic.
- Severe trauma. Fractures (broken bones) or traumatic dislocations
of the ball from the hip socket can increase the likelihood of hip
arthritis.
-
Obesity. Some studies have associated this condition with arthritis of
the hips, though interestingly obesity is more strongly linked to
arthritis of the knees than it is to arthritis of the hips.
Acquisition
Osteoarthritis is not caused by an infection, though
severe bacterial infections certainly can cause “post-infectious arthritis,”
which is in many ways even worse than osteoarthritis of the hip.
There are some risk factors that may increase the
likelihood that hips will become arthritic. These risk factors include:
- Genetics.
Arthritis often runs in families.
- Childhood
hip diseases including developmental hip dysplasia (DDH), Legg-Calve-Perthe’s
Disease, and slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) all can predispose an
individual to premature hip arthritis.
- Acquired
conditions, such as avascular necrosis (osteonecrosis), can result in hip
arthritis if left untreated or if treatment fails.
- Variations
in hip anatomy (the shape of the hip joint itself), including a condition
called femoroacetabular impingement, can cause the hip to become arthritic.
- Severe
trauma. Fractures (broken bones) or traumatic dislocations of the ball
from the hip socket can increase the likelihood of hip arthritis.
-
Obesity.
Some studies have associated this condition with arthritis of the hips, though
interestingly obesity is more strongly linked to arthritis of the knees than itis to arthritis of the hips.
Genetics Some arthritis indeed appears to run in families.Communicability Osteoarthritis of the hip is not contagious.Lifestyle risk factors There are three important “environmental” risk factors
associated with arthritis of the hip. These are:
- Severe
trauma. Fractures (broken bones) and traumatic dislocations of the ball from
the hip socket both increase the likelihood of hip arthritis.
- Acquired
conditions, such as avascular necrosis (osteonecrosis), can result in hip
arthritis if left untreated or if treatment fails. Avascular necrosis can be
caused by excessive alcohol intake, some medications (including prednisone, a
medical steroid), and some medical conditions that affect blood clotting.
-
Obesity.
This is associated with arthritis of the hips in some studies on the subject,
although interestingly, obesity appears to be more tightly linked to arthritis
of the knees than arthritis of the hips.
Injury & trauma risk factors Severe trauma, including fractures (broken bones) and
dislocations of the ball from the hip socket can, in time, result in arthritis
of the hip. Whether this really is “osteoarthritis” or should be considered a
separate kind of arthritis (post-traumatic arthritis) remains an open question,
though in the severe stages of this condition, the treatments are the same.Prevention By maintaining an ideal body weight and avoiding
severe trauma to the hip, it is possible to minimize the risk of arthritis.
However, many patients with osteoarthritis are slender and have never severely
injured their hips, so there is no “guaranteed” way to avoid getting this
condition.Surgery for hip arthritis at the University of Washington, Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Seattle, Washington If you are interested in making an appointment to discuss this procedure in Seattle, you can request an appointment using our online referrals website. To request a referral online, please click here. You can also call the Bone & Joint Surgery Center at 206-598-BONE (2663) or Eastside Specialty Clinic at 425-646-7777 to make an appointment. Our clinical center is located in Seattle Washington, USA
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