Table 1.
Post-traumatic (acute or repetitive) | Metabolic | Aging | Genetic | Pain | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age | Young (<45 years) | Middle-aged (45–65 years) | Old (>65 years) | Variable | Variable |
Main causative feature | Mechanical stress | Mechanical stress, adipokines, hyperglycemia, estrogen/progesterone imbalance | AGE, chondrocyte senescence | Gene related | Inflammation, bony changes, aberrant pain perception |
Main site | Knee, thumb, ankle, shoulder | Knee, hand, generalized | Hip, knee, hand | Hand, hip, spine | Hip, knee, hand |
Intervention | Joint protection, joint stabilization, prevention of falls, surgical interventions | Weight loss, glycaemia control, lipid control, hormone replacement therapy | No specific intervention, sRAGE/AGE breakers | No specific intervention, gene therapy | Pain medication, anti-inflammatory drugs |
Osteoarthritis is not one disease and might benefit from the recognition of its different phenotypes. Adapted with permission from Bijlsma et al. [6]