Osteoarthritis — a call to action

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a rapidly worsening global health crisis affecting over 600 million people, yet it remains chronically under-prioritised. Age-standardized years lived with disability (YLDs) attributable to OA are continuing to rise (already the seventh-ranked cause of YLDs in adults over 70) and will lead to substantial increases in case numbers because of population growth and ageing [1] . The direct costs of OA amount to 1–2.5% of Gross National Product in countries with established market economies, such as the USA, where it is estimated at $72 billion annually (using average cost data from 2008 to 2011) [2] .