Impact of Vitamin D on Knee Cartilage and Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative musculoskeletal disorder ofelderly population characterized by joint pain, stiffness and deformity due todegeneration of articular cartilage. An imbalance of jointfunctioning initiates the disease process which is then worsened throughbiochemical changes in the collagen of the joint . At theend stage of the disease, a failure of the cellular response occurs with a fullthickness loss of articular cartilage, thickening of subchondral bone, appearanceof large osteophytes and tibio- femoral mal-alignment OA accounts for half of all chronic conditions andaffects middle aged and older people all around the world.The prevalence of OA increasesindefinitely with age . Global statistics reveal that nearly against chronic diseases states that India is expected to be the chronic diseasecapital, with 60 million people with arthritis, by 2025. A study confined to ruralIndia reported the prevalence of OA to be 5.78% . OA leadsto reduced daily activities and quality of life (QoL) of individuals due totroubled mobility and disability caused by joint pain and stiffness . The rapid increase in the prevalence of this already common diseasesuggests that OA will have a growing impact on health care system in the nearfuture .OA is a persistent debilitating disease of mobile joints which most ofteninvolves the weight-bearing synovial joints. It is the most frequent reason forjoint replacement. Among various forms of arthritis, OA is the most quotidian,particularly knee OA (KOA) followed by hip OA . Wrist,foot, spine are the other common sites. 151 million people worldwide suffer from OA . 80% of people experience limitation of movementand 25% cannot perform major daily activities.A report on the global burden of the disease published by World HealthOrganization (WHO) demonstrated that OA is likely to become the fourthleading cause of disability in women and the eighth in men. Epidemiological profile of OA in India is not clear but it is estimated to be thesecond most common rheumatologic problem. According to several studies, OAis found to be the most frequent joint disease with prevalence in the range of17% to 60.6% in India .