Lifetime risk of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis

To estimate the lifetime risk of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA), overall and stratified by sex, race, education, history of knee injury, and body mass index (BMI).

The lifetime risk of symptomatic OA in at least 1 knee was estimated from logistic regression models with generalized estimating equations among 3,068 participants of the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project, a longitudinal study of black and white women and men age >or=45 years living in rural North Carolina. Radiographic, sociodemographic, and symptomatic knee data measured at baseline (1990-1997) and first followup (1999-2003) were analyzed.