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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Aug 1.
Published in final edited form as: Clin Geriatr Med. 2010 Aug;26(3):371–386. doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2010.03.002

Figure 3. Relationship between osteoarthritis risk factors and aging changes that interact to promote the development of osteoarthritis.

Figure 3

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial condition that is not simply the direct result of aging. Rather aging changes increase the susceptibility to the development of OA when OA risk factors are also present. The OA factors are both local and systemic. Obesity can have local effects due to increased joint loading and systemic effects due to the production of adipokines and cytokines by adipose tissue that may contribute to the development of OA. The various aging and OA factors interact to influence the site and severity of the disease.