glycans, alteration in collagen fibril size and weave, and increased synthesis and degradation of matrix macromolecules. Therapeutically, the disease is characterized by a lack of a specific healing agent (Swedberg & Stenbauer, 1992, p. 557).
Osteoarthritis is a frequent cause of physical impairment in older persons (Swedberg & Stenbauer, 1992, p. 557). The disease has a slow, progressive course that ends with joint failure and subsequent disability. The hands and the weight-bearing jointsùknees, ankles, and hipsùare affected most frequently. The cause of osteoarthritis is unknown. The strongest risk factor is age, yet age alone does not cause the disease. Clinically, osteoarthritis is manifested by joint pain and stiffness. Radiographs reveal joint space narrowing, subchondral sclerosis, osreophytes, and later, subchondral cysts and intra-articular osseous bodies. Biochemically, the cartilage in osteoarthritis differs from normal cartilage in older persons (Swedberg & Stenbauer, 1992, p. 557).
Although age is the major risk factor for osteoarthritis, the disease is not caused by wear and tear of the joints, and it is not simply a feature of normal aging. Osteoarthritis age-related, but not necessarily age-dependent (Hamerman, 1983, p. 299). The disease occurs in all animals with a bony skeleton, including birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals, even swimming mammals that spend their lives supported in water and have totally non weight-bearing joints (Bland, 1983, p. 16).
Other factors associated with the development of osteoarthritis include joint trauma, calcium pyrophosphate or uric acid crystal deposition in the joints, metabolic disorders such as hemochromatosis, and endocrine diseases such as diabetes mellitus and hyperparathyroidism. Osteoarthritis is a heterogeneous disorder that may be classified as primary or secondary. If progressive deterioration of articular cartilage can be related to preceding trau...