One billion facing osteoarthritis by 2050
A global team of researchers led by Curtin University has released a policy roadmap to address the rising burden of osteoarthritis, which is projected to affect one billion people by 2050. The report calls for integrating osteoarthritis care into primary health systems and national policies to combat its status as an overlooked chronic disease.
Why it matters
As the global population ages, the lack of formal policy recognition for osteoarthritis threatens to overwhelm healthcare systems and increase disability rates significantly.
An Australian-led international collaboration has developed a roadmap to tackle the growing burden of osteoarthritis.
Australian researchers are leading international calls for an overhaul of osteoarthritis prevention and care, warning that health systems are failing to address one of the fastest-growing causes of disability.
The Curtin University-led team, which brought together 22 experts from 18 countries, has published a global health policy roadmap in The Lancet , saying osteoarthritis must be recognised as a major chronic disease and integrated into existing primary care and chronic disease services.
The roadmap, co-created by a multidisciplinary group including people with lived experience, warned that osteoarthritis remained largely invisible in national health policies despite affecting approximately 600 million people worldwide, with cases projected to approach one billion by 2050.
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