Risk Factors for Arthritis
It is possible to develop arthritis with or without the risk factors listed below. However, the more risk factors you have, the greater your likelihood of developing arthritis. If you have a number of risk factors, ask your healthcare provider what you can do to reduce your risk.
You have an increased risk of developing arthritis if you have or have had:
- Past injury to a joint
- Previous surgery to the joint
- History of infection in a joint
- Congenital defect or weakness in a joint
- Inflammatory arthritis
- Acromegaly (a pituitary disorder)
- Paget’s disease of bone
- Hemochromatosis (iron overload disease)
- Gout or pseudogout
- Bleeding into the joint (as occurs with hemophilia)
Age
- 50 percent of people over the age of 65 have arthritis in at least one joint
- Over 80 percent of people over the age of 75 have arthritis in at least one joint
- Not all of these people will have significant symptoms
Gender
- Under age 45, more men than women have arthritis
- Over age 55, more women than men have arthritis
Genetic Factors
- The tendency to develop arthritis frequently runs in families
You are more likely to develop arthritis if you:
- Are overweight
- Work at a job or participate intensely in an athletic pursuit that requires a lot of lifting, squatting or repetitive joint use
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