Preterm, low-weight babies ‘at higher risk of hip osteoarthritis’

Children that are born prematurely or at an unusually low weight are at a higher risk of contracting hip osteoarthritis in later life.

Conducted at Monash University in Melbourne, the research assessed 3,604 participants from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study, looking at patients who were 40 years of age or older at the time data of joint replacement surgeries were collected.

Low birth weight and preterm birth were linked to an increased incidence of hip arthroplasty independent of age, sex, body mass index, education level, hypertension, diabetes, smoking and physical activity, though the same was not true of knee osteoarthritis.

Since there are currently no disease-modifying medications available to treat osteoarthritis, understanding the risk factors associated with the condition is an important area of research.

Professor Flavia Cicuttini of the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University said: "While further investigation is needed to confirm these findings, identifying those at greatest risk for hip osteoarthritis and providing early interventions may help reduce the incidence of this debilitating disease."

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis in the UK, mostly affecting people over the age of 45.