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Last updated Thursday, February 10, 2005
Incidence
Osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease (DJD) is the most common type of arthritis, affecting over 20 million people in the United States. DJD probably affects almost every person over age 60 to some degree, but symptoms are often mild.
Some individuals have an inborn tendency to degenerative joint disease because they have changes in the structure of the important protein-building blocks of the articular cartilage which covers the surface of their joints. These seemingly small, but significant abnormalities predispose the joint to wear and degeneration. In other cases, joint injuries may contribute to the development of DJD.
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