Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability among older adults and affects upwards of one in eight adults. Due to population ageing along with other factors, this figure is expected to double within one generation. It is a progressive chronic disease characterised by joint pain, stiffness and swelling, which results in significant mobility limitations and poor quality of life in an individual. Irish data from the TILDA study suggests that patients with OA make significant more use of GP and outpatient services than those without OA, at an annual cost of €13.6 million. The highest proportion of direct costs are attributed to orthopaedic surgery and in-patient hospital stays, with smaller proportions accounted for by medications, physician visits, other health professional visits and diagnostic procedures. Substantial indirect costs include productivity losses from absenteeism, presenteeism (disease-related loss in productivity that occurs even when the person is at work), premature death and early retirement (increased social welfare costs and reduced tax revenue).
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