Abused Children May Have Increased Risk Of Arthritis

Researchers at the University of Toronto have found that physical abuse suffered during childhood may increase the risk for osteoarthritis by as much as 56%.

The researchers studied 11,108 Canadian men and women who had self-reported childhood physical abuse and subsequent osteoarthritis in the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey. They also took into account other factors, like age, sex, race and economic status. They also factored in other risk factors such as concurrent childhood stressors, adult behavior and depression.

“We found that 10.2 per cent of those with osteoarthritis reported they had been physically abused as children in comparison to 6.5 per cent of those without osteoarthritis,” said Esme Fuller-Thomson who led the research.

In addition, after taking into account many known risk factors for osteoarthritis, including age, obesity, income, and education, the relationship between childhood physical abuse and osteoarthritis remained.

Further research is needed to investigate potential pathways through which arthritis develops as a consequence of childhood physical abuse.

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