A SURVEY OF OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE IN THE ELDERLY

Abstract

The signs and symptoms suggestive of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee were evaluated in 682 elderly people. Both the frequency of signs and symptoms and the degree of severity apparently remain constant in the 7th, 8th and 9th decades. Differences between men and women and between blacks and whites were also noted, women and blacks tending to have more frequent and more severe evidence of OA of the knee. OA of the knee apparently is a specific disease that affects only a portion of the population and is not inevitably progressive.