KENYA – Amref Health Africa has warned about the rise in Osteoarthritis (OA) cases in Kenya as the condition that a few years ago was associated with old age, is now affecting people below 30 years of age.
The organization reported that orthopaedic surgeons have sounded an alarm over the rising prevalence of arthritis in the country, with an estimated nine million people, about 18 per cent of the population, at risk of permanent disability.
“In the past, it used to be a condition of aged people but nowadays even youth of 25 years are suffering from this condition. About 60 per cent of Kenyans above the age of 40 are at risk of disability, while between 5-to-10 per cent are also at risk,” Amref said.
The non-governmental international organisation cautioned that osteoarthritis is one of the most common chronic rheumatic disorders associated with morbidity and disability while cautioning against the intake of huge amounts of alcohol and tobacco.
Amref said in an official statement that physiotherapists blame sedentary lifestyles in urban areas for the rise in the prevalence and significance of osteoarthritis which affects body joints especially the knee.
“Studies have shown that 24 per cent of surgical cases due to knee OA can be prevented if obese people reduce their weights by 5kg, or keep their body mass index (BMIs) in the recommended range,” the organization highlighted.
According to Amref Health Africa, maintaining an ideal weight not only reduces the onset of the disease but also alleviates the associated pain, reduces disability and improves the quality of life.
Head of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Centre at Nairobi Hospital Jessica Shiraku has urged Kenyans to adopt healthy diets and re-evaluate physical inactivity as well as to avoid sitting for long hours and to be involved in physical activity.
During her speech at the Kenyatta National Hospital’s School of Nursing to mark World Physiotherapy Day, she emphasized that obesity is not only a risk factor for OA but also for the progression of joint diseases.
“Manage your weight, reduce intake of unhealthy foods such as sausages, and other fast foods to keep at bay conditions that arise from sedentary lifestyles. Although osteoarthritis affects people of all ages, the prevalence increases sharply from the age of 45,” she says in her speech.
Shiraku emphasized that every Kenyan, especially those having challenges with their joints, should visit physiotherapists early enough as the cost of treatment of the condition becomes huge in the future.
“Treatment of joint conditions is costly since most of those affected seek medical care late in life when the condition has already eaten into the bones,” she said.
In addition, physiotherapists raised issues with the education status of healthcare workers on the condition since the prevalence is increasing as populations are ageing and epidemic obesity is on the rise.
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