Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,


Source & full article: 2.5 million Americans living with an artificial hip, 4.7 million with an artificial knee.

2.5 million Americans living with an artificial hip, 4.7 million with an artificial knee

More than 7 million Americans are living with an artificial (prosthetic) knee (4.7 million) or hip (2.5 million), which may have significant future implications in terms of the need for ongoing patient care, according to new research presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). Two related studies also found a growing incidence of adults younger than age 65 undergoing total knee replacement (TKR) and total hip replacement (THR) surgeries, and a potential underutilization of these procedures in some segments of the population.

While numerous studies have quantified the incidence rate of TKR and THR and in the U.S., there is very little information about the number of patients actually living with a prosthetic knee or hip. In “Prevalence of Total Hip (THA) and Total Knee (TKA) Arthroplasty in the United States,” researchers reviewed THR and TKR incidence rates, mortality rates and relative mortality rates (the difference in survival between THR and TKR patients and the general population), over a 40-year time period, to estimate 2010 prevalence rates according to age, sex and time since surgery.

Among the study findings:

  • Approximately 0.8 percent of Americans are living with a hip replacement, and 1.5 percent with a knee replacement.
  • More women are living with prosthetic hips and knees than men.
  • Prevalence of THR and TKR among adults age 50 and older is as high as 2.3 and 4.6 percent, respectively.
  • The prevalence of THR rises to nearly 6 percent by 80 years of age. The prevalence of TKR rises to nearly 10 percent by 80 years of age.
  • The states with the highest number of THR and TKR patients are California, Florida and Texas; the two states with the lowest numbers are Alaska and Hawaii.