Objective This study examined the global and regional temporal changes in cross‐country inequalities of site‐specific osteoarthritis (OA) burden from 1990 to 2021. Methods Age‐standardized years lived with disability rate for site‐specific OA across 204 countries/territories were obtained from the Global Burden of Diseases Study (GBD) 2021. The slope index of inequality (SII) and the concentration index (CCI) were calculated to quantify the absolute and relative cross‐country inequalities. Average annual percent change (AAPC) was used to assess the temporal changes. Results From 1990 to 2021, the ASYR of OA increased regardless of the joint affected globally. The SII of total OA exhibited an improving cross‐country inequality among higher socio‐demographic index (SDI) countries/territories, decreasing from 77.26 (95% confidence interval CI: 69.32‐85.20) to 69.85 (95% CI: 60.67‐79.02). Similarly, the CCI of total OA decreased from 0.0815 (95% CI: 0.0732‐0.0897) to 0.0622 (95% CI: 0.0551‐0.0693). However, most regions exhibited worsening cross‐country inequalities among higher SDI countries/territories. Central Sub‐Saharan Africa showed the largest worsening inequality in SII (AAPC: 4.55, 95% CI: 2.83‐6.29) while East Asia showed the largest worsening inequality in CCI (AAPC: 1.96, 95% CI: 1.48‐2.43). Hand OA reported consistently improving absolute and relative cross‐country inequalities among higher SDI countries/territories, while other OA showed a consistently worsening inequalities. Conclusion The cross‐country inequalities of OA burden have persisted and even worsening in some regions over the past decades. Targeted prevention and management strategies according to geographic location and affected joint are pivotal to reduce the growing OA burden and achieve equity in health outcomes.
Chen et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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