Lohmander LS, Gerhardsson de Verdier M, Rollof J et al.
Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Ann Rheum Dis 2009;68:490–6.
Editor’s note: It is generally accepted that increased weight and obesity are risk factors for the development of osteoarthritis (OA) in the knee and hip, which are large weight-bearing joints. Evidence is less clear for the hip than the knee. The current article details a large, prospective, population-based study cohort that looked specifically at severe OA, which is defined as the need for arthroplasty or high tibial osteotomy of the knee, or arthroplasty of the hip due to OA. Several different measures of obesity were included in the study.