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Global surge in postmenopausal osteoarthritis and associated disability
Cases of postmenopausal osteoarthritis, and disabilities associated with the condition, have surged globally by more than 130 per cent over the last three decades, data shows.
During this period, East Asia and high income Asia Pacific countries experienced the fastest growth in the condition while excess weight accounted for 20 per cent of the total years lived with the resulting disability, the analysis indicates.
Osteoarthritis is primarily characterised by the deterioration and damage of joint cartilage, accompanied by bony remodelling, joint dysfunction, and chronic pain.
In 2020 alone, an estimated 595 million people worldwide were living with the condition, comprising nearly eight per cent of the world’s population, with postmenopausal women at heightened risk.
To better understand the global impact of osteoarthritis in this group, researchers drew on The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study. This collected and analysed data from 204 countries and territories for the prevalence, severity, and deaths attributable to 371 diseases between 1990 and 2021.
The researchers focused in particular on rates of new and existing cases of knee, hip, hand, and ‘other’ osteoarthritis and years of healthy life lost (DALYs) among postmenopausal women, aged 55 and above.
The menopause signals a decline in oestrogen levels, which not only affects skeletal health, but is also directly linked to the function and stability of the joint system, explain the researchers.
The GBD framework incorporates the SocioDemographic Index (SDI), a composite measure of a nation’s development, based on income per head of the population, average years of education, and fertility rates for those under 25.
And to provide regional estimates of osteoarthritis, these countries and territories were further divided into 21 regions, based on geographic proximity and cultural similarities.
Generally, global age standardised rates of new and existing cases and DALYs for all types of osteoarthritis steadily increased in postmenopausal women across all age groups from 1990 to 2021.
In 2021 there were 14,258,581 new cases; 278,568,950 existing cases; and 99,447,16 DALYs, representing increases of 133 per cent, 140 per cent, and 142 per cent since 1990, respectively.
High SDI areas exhibited significantly greater incidence, prevalence, and DALY rates than other regions, with the exception of other osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis of the knee was the most common type and associated with the highest loss of healthy years of life (1264.48/100,000 people), followed by that of the hand and ‘other’.
At the other end of the spectrum, osteoarthritis of the hip was the least common and associated with the lowest rates of DALYs.
Among the 21 GBD regions, high income Asia Pacific countries had the highest age standardised incidence, prevalence, and DALY rates for knee osteoarthritis per 100,000 people, while countries in Central Asia reported the lowest age standardised rates.
The fastest rise in new cases of knee osteoarthritis occurred in Southeast Asia while the most rapid rise in prevalence and DALYs occurred in East Asia.
The highest burden of hand osteoarthritis was in Central Asia while the lowest was in Oceania. The fastest rise in new and existing cases of hand osteoarthritis, as well as DALYs, was observed in East Asia.
All age standardised rates for hip and other osteoarthritis were relatively similar between older men and women of the same age. But women had significantly higher values for hand and knee osteoarthritis than men of the same age.
Specifically, DALYs for hand osteoarthritis in 55–59 year old women were nearly twice as high as they were in men of the same age.
Hand and other osteoarthritis showed the fastest growth among 55–59 and 60–64 year old women over the past decade.
Excess weight (BMI), a key risk factor for osteoarthritis, was the only risk factor investigated in the GBD 21 data. It was defined as above 20 to 23 kg/m² for those aged at least 20.
Between 1990 and 2021 DALYs attributable to high BMI among postmenopausal women rose significantly across all SDI categories, and in most regions, with the exception of Central Asia.
Globally, DALYs attributed to high BMI among postmenopausal women increased from around 17 per cent in 1990 to around 21 per cent in 2021. Regions at the upper end of SDIs had the highest proportions of DALYs associated with high BMI, exceeding 20 per cent, with East Asia showing the sharpest rise from around 14 per cent to 23 per cent.
Osteoarthritis attributed to high BMI was consistently more of an issue for women in all regions of the world and across all SDI categories.
The trends observed in East Asia “may be linked to rapid population ageing, increased workforce participation, and a surge in obesity rates due to urbanisation and changing lifestyles,” suggest the researchers.
“Conversely, the high burden observed in high-income Asia Pacific could be attributed to advanced healthcare systems with better diagnostic capabilities, facilitating comprehensive identification and reporting of [osteoarthritis] cases,” they add.
The researchers acknowledge various limitations to their findings including regional variations in data quality, while data from low income countries were often scarce. The age cut-off of 55 may also have excluded women who were postmenopausal at younger ages.
But they conclude: “The burden of [osteoarthritis] among postmenopausal women continues to escalate, highlighting its significant impact on [their] global health.”
They add: “There is an urgent need for proactive measures to rigorously monitor and manage risk factors, with a particular emphasis on promoting lifestyle adjustments aimed at controlling BMI. Additionally, policies should be implemented that take into account socio-demographic disparities, to effectively alleviate the burden of [osteoarthritis] in postmenopausal women.”
Supermarket loyalty card data suggests more than a quarter of women buying menstrual products also buy pain relief at the same time.
The findings also suggest women in lower-income areas are significantly less likely to do so, pointing to disparities in access to over-the-counter pain relief across England.
The study was led by Dr Victoria Sivill of the University of Bristol and colleagues.
The authors said: “The study highlights the need for greater awareness and policy interventions to address the high prevalence of menstrual pain as well as socioeconomic dimensions of menstrual pain.
“Public health initiatives should incorporate menstrual pain relief as part of broader efforts to improve health equity.”
Researchers analysed anonymised loyalty card data from a major UK health and beauty retailer, covering 211m transactions by 3.4m people between 2006 and 2015.
The study examined how often shoppers bought menstrual products and pain relief in the same transaction, and compared this with a customer’s usual rate of buying pain relief.
It found that 26.7 per cent of customers who bought menstrual products also bought pain relief at the same time.
These customers were nearly four times more likely to buy pain relief when buying menstrual products than on other shopping trips.
As a check on the approach, researchers found the most common interval between consecutive menstrual product purchases was exactly 28 days, consistent with the average menstrual cycle.
Menstrual pain is common and can affect daily activities, including school and work attendance.
Regional income was the strongest predictor of menstrual pain purchases.
Customers in the lowest-income areas were 32 per cent less likely to buy pain relief at the same time as menstrual products than those in the highest-income areas.
The authors said lower rates of pain relief purchases in deprived areas are likely to reflect an inability to afford over-the-counter medication rather than lower rates of menstrual pain itself.
Co-author Dr James Goulding said: “It is wonderful that smart data research in the UK is able to bring issues which may have once been overlooked in scientific settings, such as the sheer scale and impact of menstrual pain, to light. This is well overdue.
Co-author Dr Anya Skatova said: “Like many women, I was aware of how common menstrual pain is, but the scale of painkiller purchases alongside menstrual products was still striking.
“Using shopping data, we can see just how widespread the need for pain relief really is. This kind of evidence helps make menstrual pain visible at a population level and provides a strong foundation for systemic change in how it is recognised, treated, and prioritised in public health.”
Women are still being failed by menopause care despite a surge in online advice, with experts saying symptoms are too often minimised or dismissed.
The researchers exposed a gap between the surge of menopause information available online and the quality of medical care women receive.
A team of anthropologists and psychologists explored the physical and emotional toll of menopause, including its impact on work and personal lives, through interviews with 60 women aged 45 to 61 between March and June 2021.
The findings were published in a new book, We Need to Talk About Menopause.
The interviews showed how women continue to “needlessly suffer” as they sort through misinformation from influencers, celebrities and so-called experts.
The authors said: “You would think in an age where humans are developing commercial space flight, self-driving cars, and AI personal assistants who can project movies onto the palm of your hand, we would understand more about menopause, something a little over half of the population is guaranteed to experience in their lives.”
The interviews revealed wide variation in women’s experiences of doctors.
Some felt they could have an open dialogue, while others said they were “shut down”, including being told they were too young for menopause.
One woman said she bled heavily for a year before she was taken seriously.
The authors said menopause is still poorly understood, with disagreement over whether it should be seen as a medical condition or a natural part of ageing.
There are more than 100 recognised symptoms, although some women experience none.
Among those interviewed, 78 per cent reported weight gain and redistribution, particularly around the belly area, which was resistant to diet and exercise.
Fifty-eight per cent experienced mood disturbances including anxiety, depression, irritability and unprecedented levels of rage.
Many women said they were blindsided by symptoms they had never known existed.
One participant said she only realised rage was a menopause symptom after seeing it mentioned in a television commercial.
Women also described severe memory problems and brain fog that colleagues mistook for incompetence, leading successful professionals to question their abilities at the peak of their careers.
Brain fog can include problems with concentration, memory and clear thinking.
According to Statistics Canada, 70 per cent of women turn to the internet as their primary source of menopause information.
The authors said this information vacuum has spawned a £14.7bn global “meno-tech” industry, with influencers, celebrities and telehealth companies offering products ranging from £98 creams to unnecessary blood tests.
They said: “The growth of interest in menopause has also been accompanied by a wave of unsubstantiated information.
“Many websites market expensive creams, supplements, and weight-loss schemes that promise to keep women youthful and attractive, with little evidence to support their claims.
“Reliable, accessible information about menopause and perimenopause is still lacking. Despite increased attention to the importance of physician training and the search for menopause specialists, the medical profession as a whole continues to provide limited support in this area.”
The authors also highlighted the effect of menopause in the workplace.
The House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee has warned that Britain is “haemorrhaging talent” because of menopause, with 14 million workdays lost each year, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Despite this, studies have shown 80 per cent of UK employers have yet to implement proper support measures for menopausal women.
Some women said simple workplace adjustments made a significant difference.
The Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) has warned against “financial half measures” on women’s health as the government published its response to the report.
Ministers launched the renewed Women’s Health Strategy in April after the committee’s March report concluded it was not convinced that the menstrual and gynaecological needs of young women and girls had been sufficiently prioritised in wider healthcare reforms.
It followed the committee’s 2024 “medical misogyny” report, which found women with painful reproductive health conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis and heavy menstrual bleeding were frequently finding their symptoms “normalised” and their “pain dismissed” when seeking help.
In both reports, MPs called on the government to recognise the benefits of increased investment in early diagnosis and treatment of women’s reproductive health conditions and provide additional funding needed to transform the support available to millions of women.
In its response, published on 26 May as a command paper, the Department of Health and Social Care outlined action on reducing gynae waiting times, ensuring procedures are conducted with women’s full consent and adequate pain relief, and improving access to contraception for menstrual healthcare in line with the committee’s recommendations.
It said: “The government agrees with the committee’s overarching findings and recommendations for improving women’s health outcomes and experiences.
“We acknowledge the impact that menstrual health conditions can have on women’s lives, relationships, and participation in education and the workforce.
“We recognise that more needs to be done to support women with menstrual health conditions, particularly around listening to women, improving information and education, and enhancing patient experience.”
However, there was no commitment to increase school nurse provision, no measurable actions and targets on countering online misinformation, no new commitments to end inappropriate censorship of women’s online health content, and no further initiatives on tackling racial discrimination or understanding the menstrual wellbeing needs of young disabled and Deaf women.
The response comes after analysis by The Times suggested the government is allocating 60 per cent more funding to its men’s health strategy than to its renewed strategy for women’s health.
Sarah Owen, chair of the Women and Equalities Committee and Labour MP, said: “WEC’s 2024 ‘medical misogyny’ report warned 18 months ago of women in unnecessary pain and undiagnosed for years and called on the Government to recognise the benefits of increased investment in early diagnosis and treatment.
“Our follow up report this March cautioned girls’ and women’s health are not being sufficiently prioritised in system-wide NHS reforms, while initiatives which have proven to be successful in reducing waiting lists and improving women’s healthcare access, such as women’s health hubs, risked being scaled back or discontinued.
“While it’s welcome to see a focus on tackling ‘medical misogyny’ in April’s renewed Women’s Health Strategy and an emphasis on women’s voices being heard, this must be backed by adequate funding, not financial half measures, particularly when compared to men’s health.
“Significant questions remain following today’s response publication over the adequacy of investment being provided, including for workforce training, menstrual health education in schools, research and additional ring-fenced funding for women’s health hubs to deliver services within the emerging neighbourhood health framework.
“There are both opportunities and risks when it comes to increasing use of technology in women’s healthcare.
“As the Committee’s report set out, social media companies should be held to account for inappropriate and disgraceful ‘shadow banning’ censorship of important women’s health content and there should be a rigorous approach to tackling the risks from ineffective, unsafe and exploitative for-profit FemTech apps.
“The Government should take the problem of ‘shadow banning’ more seriously.
“A strategy which does not fully address the concerns set out in WEC’s report, alongside measurable actions and timescales, will only scratch the surface of the issues facing women’s health.
“WEC will keep a close eye on progress and continue to push for long overdue tangible change for women and girls.”
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