Generalized osteoarthritis is a subset ofosteoarthritisin which three or more joints or groups of joints are affected. It is often referred to as GOA and may be referred to as polyarticular osteoarthritis and multi-joint osteoarthritis.
Your condition may be categorized as generalized osteoarthritis if it appears in multiple areas, almost always including the hand. If you have generalized osteoarthritis, you are more likely to face challenges with function, disability, and quality of life.
Most commonly, generalized osteoarthritis occurs in the spine, knees, hips, base of the thumb in the first CMC (carpometacarpophalangeal joint), tips of the fingers, and big toe. The wrists, elbows, and ankles are typically not involved in generalized osteoarthritis.
There isn’t a standard definition for generalized osteoarthritis and there may be a movement away from using the term, but it appears very often in medical literature. For example, in 30 differentstudiesthat had specific definitions of generalized osteoarthritis, there were 15 different definitions.All of the definitions included the hands and most included the knees and hips, but fewer than half assessed the spine or feet.
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Risk Factors for Generalized Osteoarthritis
Generalized osteoarthritis develops spontaneously. Because the definition of generalized osteoarthritis is so variable, it isn’t a very useful classification for finding risk factors or for guiding treatment. Further subcategories of GOA would be more useful in guiding research andtreatment strategies. Studies have found these overall characteristics with the subcategory as it stands today.
Generalized osteoarthritis is more prevalent in patients with advancedknee osteoarthritisthan in patients with advancedhip osteoarthritis. Some researchers believe there is a correlation between the presence of Heberden’s nodes and generalized osteoarthritis.
A gene defect that may cause primary generalized osteoarthritis has been studied, and there have been studies that show a high degree of inheritability of generalized osteoarthritis.Further studies along these lines might find a biochemical cause and lead to targeted treatment.
Living With Generalized Osteoarthritis
If you have osteoarthritis in multiple joints, you should seek medical care so you can maintain your quality of life and avoid disability. Get advice on how to stay as active as possible so you can maintain function.
Subsets of Osteoarthritis
The other two subsets of osteoarthritis are primary osteoarthritis and secondary osteoarthritis.
3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Nelson AE, Smith MW, Golightly YM, Jordan JM. “Generalized osteoarthritis”: a systematic review.Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2014;43(6):713-20. doi:10.1016/j.semarthrit.2013.12.007Kraus VB, Jordan JM, Doherty M, et al.The Genetics of Generalized Osteoarthritis (GOGO) study: study design and evaluation of osteoarthritis phenotypes.Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2007;15(2):120–7. doi:10.1016/j.joca.2006.10.002Cleveland Clinic.Osteoarthritis.Additional ReadingNelson AE, Smith MW, Golightly YM, Jordan JM.“Generalized Osteoarthritis”: A Systematic Review.Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism. 2014;43(6):713-720. doi:10.1016/j.semarthrit.2013.12.007.
3 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Nelson AE, Smith MW, Golightly YM, Jordan JM. “Generalized osteoarthritis”: a systematic review.Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2014;43(6):713-20. doi:10.1016/j.semarthrit.2013.12.007Kraus VB, Jordan JM, Doherty M, et al.The Genetics of Generalized Osteoarthritis (GOGO) study: study design and evaluation of osteoarthritis phenotypes.Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2007;15(2):120–7. doi:10.1016/j.joca.2006.10.002Cleveland Clinic.Osteoarthritis.Additional ReadingNelson AE, Smith MW, Golightly YM, Jordan JM.“Generalized Osteoarthritis”: A Systematic Review.Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism. 2014;43(6):713-720. doi:10.1016/j.semarthrit.2013.12.007.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Nelson AE, Smith MW, Golightly YM, Jordan JM. “Generalized osteoarthritis”: a systematic review.Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2014;43(6):713-20. doi:10.1016/j.semarthrit.2013.12.007Kraus VB, Jordan JM, Doherty M, et al.The Genetics of Generalized Osteoarthritis (GOGO) study: study design and evaluation of osteoarthritis phenotypes.Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2007;15(2):120–7. doi:10.1016/j.joca.2006.10.002Cleveland Clinic.Osteoarthritis.
Nelson AE, Smith MW, Golightly YM, Jordan JM. “Generalized osteoarthritis”: a systematic review.Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2014;43(6):713-20. doi:10.1016/j.semarthrit.2013.12.007
Kraus VB, Jordan JM, Doherty M, et al.The Genetics of Generalized Osteoarthritis (GOGO) study: study design and evaluation of osteoarthritis phenotypes.Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2007;15(2):120–7. doi:10.1016/j.joca.2006.10.002
Cleveland Clinic.Osteoarthritis.
Nelson AE, Smith MW, Golightly YM, Jordan JM.“Generalized Osteoarthritis”: A Systematic Review.Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism. 2014;43(6):713-720. doi:10.1016/j.semarthrit.2013.12.007.
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