Symptomatic osteoarthritis affects roughly 12.5 percent of the Belgian population, with women accounting for 60 percent of cases compared to 40 percent for men. Projections warn that one billion individuals will have the condition by 2050, driven largely by an aging population and rising obesity rates.
While osteoarthritis is commonly viewed as a disease of old age, the reality on the ground is far more nuanced. The condition affects 30 percent of people under the age of 45.
Why Perimenopause Triggers Joint Pain
The périménopause serves as a critical period during which women can develop joint pain, particularly in their fingers and neck. This vulnerability is tied directly to a drop in estrogen levels. Because cartilage itself contains hormonal receptors, the withdrawal of these hormones alters joint stability. Compounding this hormonal shift are changes in overall body composition, marked by concurrent muscle loss and fat gain.
Global Projections and Risk Factors
Looking toward the middle of the century, public health estimates indicate that one billion people worldwide will deal with osteoarthritis by 2050. When asked about the forces behind this upward trend, Yves Henrotin, a professor at Uliège, doctor in physiotherapy and functional rehabilitation, president of the arthrosis foundation, and author of Arthrose. Le pouvoir du mouvement, pointed directly to two primary catalysts. Cette augmentation est principalement due au vieillissement de la population et à l’obésité, Henrotin explained.
Moving Beyond Traditional Management
Medical science has not yet found a cure for osteoarthritis, but modern clinical philosophy rejects the old advice to simply grin and bear it. Experts emphasize that patients should no longer resign themselves to enduring the structural degradation of their cartilage and surrounding tissues, which manifests as pain, deformity, stiffness, and eventual functional loss. Instead, treatment protocols are shifting away from immediate reliance on drugs or surgery.
C’est une maladie complexe qui nécessite une approche holistique, multidisciplinaire, axée sur les changements de mode de vie avant les interventions médicamenteuses ou chirurgicales. Yves Henrotin, professor at Uliège and president of the arthrosis foundation
