Age-specific comorbidity risks in osteoarthritis: implications for healthy aging across diverse populations
Abstract Background Osteoarthritis (OA), a leading cause of disability worldwide, is increasingly recognized for its systemic impact. Despite its prevalence, the age-dependent effects of OA remain underexplored, particularly regarding its association with comorbidities across the life course. Method...
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BMC
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Archives of Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-025-01670-9 |
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| author | Lilu Ding Ruoqi Dai Dian Jin Zhanyi Li Jing Qian Jiahao Zhu Jingyou Miao Hui Zhang Jing Wang Yan Xu Yingjun Li |
| author_facet | Lilu Ding Ruoqi Dai Dian Jin Zhanyi Li Jing Qian Jiahao Zhu Jingyou Miao Hui Zhang Jing Wang Yan Xu Yingjun Li |
| author_sort | Lilu Ding |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Osteoarthritis (OA), a leading cause of disability worldwide, is increasingly recognized for its systemic impact. Despite its prevalence, the age-dependent effects of OA remain underexplored, particularly regarding its association with comorbidities across the life course. Methods Using the UK Biobank (78,825 incident OA cases; 301,071 age-/sex-matched controls; age range: 40–86 years) and the CHARLS cohort (China, 5,735 participants, age range: 45–92 years), we employed Cox models with age as the time scale to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for OA-associated comorbidities, including bone diseases, metabolic disorders, and mental health conditions, stratified by age at diagnosis. Analyses adjusted for sociodemographic factors and population-attributable fractions (PAFs) were calculated to quantify preventable burdens. Results OA was associated with significantly increased risks across multiple comorbidities. All comorbidities exhibited an age-dependent gradient: relative risks were highest in younger individuals and declined with age, while absolute risks increased due to OA’s higher prevalence in older populations. For example, HRs for metabolic disorders declined from 2.55 (95% CI: 2.36–2.76) in those aged 40–49 to 1.77 (95% CI: 1.74–1.81) in those aged ≥ 70. Validation in CHARLS confirmed these patterns. Conclusion The systemic effects of OA vary substantially by age at onset. Younger individuals face elevated proportional risks likely shaped by behavioral, occupational, and structural factors, while older adults bear a larger absolute burden. These findings underscore the need for age-sensitive strategies to reduce long-term health consequences of OA and promote healthy aging. Graphical Abstract |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ac8eef972dae406aaf7f0ccbe6e253e3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2049-3258 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Archives of Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-ac8eef972dae406aaf7f0ccbe6e253e32025-08-20T03:37:28ZengBMCArchives of Public Health2049-32582025-07-0183111110.1186/s13690-025-01670-9Age-specific comorbidity risks in osteoarthritis: implications for healthy aging across diverse populationsLilu Ding0Ruoqi Dai1Dian Jin2Zhanyi Li3Jing Qian4Jiahao Zhu5Jingyou Miao6Hui Zhang7Jing Wang8Yan Xu9Yingjun Li10Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical CollegeDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical CollegeDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical CollegeDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical CollegeDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical CollegeDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical CollegeDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical CollegeDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical CollegeDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical CollegeZhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and PreventionDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical CollegeAbstract Background Osteoarthritis (OA), a leading cause of disability worldwide, is increasingly recognized for its systemic impact. Despite its prevalence, the age-dependent effects of OA remain underexplored, particularly regarding its association with comorbidities across the life course. Methods Using the UK Biobank (78,825 incident OA cases; 301,071 age-/sex-matched controls; age range: 40–86 years) and the CHARLS cohort (China, 5,735 participants, age range: 45–92 years), we employed Cox models with age as the time scale to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for OA-associated comorbidities, including bone diseases, metabolic disorders, and mental health conditions, stratified by age at diagnosis. Analyses adjusted for sociodemographic factors and population-attributable fractions (PAFs) were calculated to quantify preventable burdens. Results OA was associated with significantly increased risks across multiple comorbidities. All comorbidities exhibited an age-dependent gradient: relative risks were highest in younger individuals and declined with age, while absolute risks increased due to OA’s higher prevalence in older populations. For example, HRs for metabolic disorders declined from 2.55 (95% CI: 2.36–2.76) in those aged 40–49 to 1.77 (95% CI: 1.74–1.81) in those aged ≥ 70. Validation in CHARLS confirmed these patterns. Conclusion The systemic effects of OA vary substantially by age at onset. Younger individuals face elevated proportional risks likely shaped by behavioral, occupational, and structural factors, while older adults bear a larger absolute burden. These findings underscore the need for age-sensitive strategies to reduce long-term health consequences of OA and promote healthy aging. Graphical Abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-025-01670-9OsteoarthritisComorbiditiesEarly onsetAge-related riskPopulation-based cohort |
| spellingShingle | Lilu Ding Ruoqi Dai Dian Jin Zhanyi Li Jing Qian Jiahao Zhu Jingyou Miao Hui Zhang Jing Wang Yan Xu Yingjun Li Age-specific comorbidity risks in osteoarthritis: implications for healthy aging across diverse populations Archives of Public Health Osteoarthritis Comorbidities Early onset Age-related risk Population-based cohort |
| title | Age-specific comorbidity risks in osteoarthritis: implications for healthy aging across diverse populations |
| title_full | Age-specific comorbidity risks in osteoarthritis: implications for healthy aging across diverse populations |
| title_fullStr | Age-specific comorbidity risks in osteoarthritis: implications for healthy aging across diverse populations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Age-specific comorbidity risks in osteoarthritis: implications for healthy aging across diverse populations |
| title_short | Age-specific comorbidity risks in osteoarthritis: implications for healthy aging across diverse populations |
| title_sort | age specific comorbidity risks in osteoarthritis implications for healthy aging across diverse populations |
| topic | Osteoarthritis Comorbidities Early onset Age-related risk Population-based cohort |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-025-01670-9 |
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