Dramatic Rise in Knee Replacement Surgery

19 January 2012
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The number of knee replacement surgeries taking place has risen rapidly in recent decades with researchers reporting a 130-fold increase in the procedure since 1985.


A new paper, published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism, indicates that surgery has risen rapidly over the last 27 years, especially amongst those in the 50-59-year-old age cohort.

The researchers, from Helsinki University Central Hospital in Finland, discovered that total knee replacement surgeries had risen from 0.5 per 100,000 people to 65 per 100,000, while partial knee replacements also rose significantly, from 0.2 operations per 100,000 to ten per 100,000.

Knee replacement surgeries are commonly used to treat osteoarthritis when "more conservative" therapies have proved ineffective. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis with around 750,000 people suffering from the debilitating condition in Ireland.

"Our study confirmed rapid growth in incidences of partial and total knee arthroplasty in those less than 60 years of age," Dr Jarkko Leskinnen, who led the research, explained.

"Given that younger patients may be at a higher risk of artificial knee joint failure and thus in need of a second replacement surgery, long-term data are needed before widespread use of total knee arthroplasty is recommended for this patient population."

The research was accompanied by an editorial in the same journal, in which Dr Elena Losina, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, US, recommended total knee replacements as an effective means of intervention for osteoarthritis, with "excellent outcomes" for patients in their 60s, 70s and 80s.

"However, past performance may not guarantee future success, and with an increasing number of knee replacement recipients under 60 years old, more intensive study of arthroplasty outcomes in younger patients is warranted," she added.

A spokesperson for Arthritis Ireland said: "Knee replacement surgery has been on the rise in Ireland due to our ageing population coupled with rising levels of obesity, two of the primary causes of knee osteoarthritis. Although a decision to undergo a procedure of this nature should never be taken lightly, the outcomes for these surgeries are generally very positive and can dramatically improve the patient's quality of life."