Epidemiology of osteoarthritis overall and by body mass index category in the United States: A retrospective analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

In total, 31,936,699 adults (aged ≥ 20 years) in the United States had osteoarthritis, with a prevalence (per 1000 persons) of 135.0 (95% confidence interval, 122.9-147.0).

At the survey date, people had been living with osteoarthritis for a mean (standard error) of 13.5 (0.7) years.

Common self-reported comorbidities included hypertension (58.4%), cancer/malignancies (25.4%), and thyroid problems (24.5%).

Among people with osteoarthritis, 57.8% reported that a doctor told them they had overweight, and 39.2% reported they were currently controlling or losing weight.