Osteoarthritis of the hip in young adultsOsteoarthritis of the hip is a condition which affects a large number of people around the world. Its incidence in the population varies enormously with race. It is much more common amongst Caucasians than Asians, ranging between 3% to 6% of the population in the West depending on the country. There are 30 million sufferers in the United States alone. To give us an idea of the associated healthcare cost in this country, we can mention that this condition is responsible for 557,000 operations every year. In Spain, some two million people will suffer from hip-related problems during their lifetime. According to figures provided by the organisation, the total number of hip prosthesis operations, whether partial, total or revision, ranged from 60 to 200 per 100,000 inhabitants/year in OECD countries at the end of the nineties. All of this shows the importance and extent of the condition. 
Osteoarthritis of the hip in young adults (<65 years):A normal hip is shown on the left. As with other weight-bearing joints of the human body, the hips are at risk of suffering from osteoarthritis, or in other words, wear on the area required to provide correct gliding and shock absorbance between the head of the femur and the socket of the hipbone which houses it, known as the acetabulum. The covering designed to provide this function is called "articular cartilage". The articular cartilage covers the femoral head and the acetabulum, facilitating the movement of the joint as a whole. However, if it becomes worn it leads to a series of symptoms. The first sign may be discomfort and stiffness in the groin upon waking, when getting up from a chair after a relatively prolonged period of time, getting out of the car or even remaining seated for some time. The pain increases with movement and improves with rest. For example, feeling pain and having difficulty when putting on one's shoes is highly typical. If this ailment is not treated in time, the condition worsens until rest no longer alleviates the pain. The hip gradually loses more and more mobility, and pain in the lower back may even appear as a result of the individual's unconscious attempt to compensate for their limited hip movement with increased movement of the spine. At the end of this wear process, the bones rub against each other and cause severe pain when performing any movement. An increasingly pronounced limp is caused by the hip and, what is worse, the muscles are weakened. The risk of suffering from osteoarthritis of the hip increases if there is a family history of the disease and especially as a result of certain congenital deformities, some of which are called "dysplasias". There are also other illnesses which appear in children and adults which affect both joint quality and its future shape, and can cause osteoarthritis of the hip over the years. Obviously obesity, previous accidents and old age (an easy rule to remember is that 80% of people have at least some symptoms of osteoarthritis of the hip by the age of 80) are also other extremely important factors. Nevertheless, suffering from one of these conditions is not a prerequisite for suffering from osteoarthritis of the hip. This is known as idiopathic osteoarthritis. of osteoarthritis in young adults |
