ACR: Total Hip Arthroplasty Up for Those Under Age 21

MONDAY, Nov. 15, 2021 (HealthDay News) — From 2000 to 2016, there was an increase in total hip arthroplasty (THA) among patients younger than 21 years of age in the United States, according to a study published in the December issue of the Journal of Arthroplasty to coincide with the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, held virtually from Nov. 3 to 9.

Cynthia A. Kahlenberg, M.D., M.P.H., from the Hospital of Special Surgery in New York City, and colleagues conducted a retrospective review of the Kids’ Inpatient Database, including patients younger than 21 years from approximately 4,200 hospitals in 46 states, to examine the frequency of THA. The database was queried for elective and nonelective primary THA for 2000 to 2016.

The researchers found that from 2000 to 2016, there was an increase in the weighted total number of THAs performed in patients younger than 21 years from 347 to 551. Osteonecrosis, osteoarthritis, and inflammatory arthritis were the most common diagnoses. From 2000 to 2016, the frequency of THA for osteonecrosis increased from 24 to 38 percent, while the frequency of THA for inflammatory arthritis decreased from 27 to 4 percent.

“Our study shows that although THA procedures are increasingly being performed in young people, we aren’t seeing more of these patients seeking surgery for inflammatory arthritis,” a coauthor said in a statement. “We’re doing a better job at treating these individuals so they don’t develop end-stage joint damage.”

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