The fact of to be born prematurely and/or low weight has been linked to a risk of high blood pressure, autism, diabetes, or even cardiovascular disease in adulthood.
Published in the scientific journal Arthritis Care & Research, a new study now extends the list, showing that these birth characteristics increase the risk ofhip osteoarthritis.
The children born premature or at too low a weight would require more hip prostheses than others as adults.
“Currently, there is no satisfactory treatment to cure theosteoarthritis, said Flavia Cicuttini, lead author of the study. This is what makes understanding the risk factors associated with osteoarthritis so important, to improve the prevention of this debilitating disease. »
Unequivocal results
The work was carried out on 3,604 people, taking part in the study on diabetes, obesity and the lifestyle of Australians.
Each of the participants provided their birth weight, if they were born prematurely and how long, and whether or not they wore a hip and/or knee prosthesis. They were all at least 40 years old when this data was collected.
Of the 3,604 people surveyed, 116 had a knee prosthesis and 75 a hip prosthesis due to osteoarthritis. 122 people were born at low weight only, 144 were born prematurelyand 135 were both.
Low birth weight and prematurity were linked to an increase in hip arthroplasty, in other words the fitting of a prosthesis. These results were independent of a person’s age, gender, BMI, educational level, health, and even physical activity.
However, no correlation has been shown between the risk of knee prosthesis, weight and prematurity at birth.
Reduce the incidence of osteoarthritis
“Our results suggest that individuals born prematurely or weighing little at birth are more likely to need hip replacement surgery than others once they become adults, concludes Flavia Cicuttini. If further research is needed to confirm these findings, identifying those most at risk for hip osteoarthritis could help them reduce the incidence of this disease in their future lives, through close monitoring and early intervention.”
