Osteoarthritis: Coping Guidelines for the Elderly

Dr. Eric Gall from the University of Arizona Arthritis Center moderated the topic "Osteoarthritis: Coping Guidelines for the Elderly" with Drs. Joel Block from Rush University Medical Center, and Roland Moskowitz from University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH.

The discussion focused primarily on:

1. The current woking definition of osteoarthritis (OA);
2. the burden of the disease in the United States and worldwide;
3. OA and the presence of pain;
4. radiographic evidence;
5. the pathophysiology, onset, and progression;
6. the manifestations of OA in different areas of the body;
7. clinical and radiographic diagnosis;
8. the differentiation of OA from rheumatoid arthritis;
9. prevention and disease management;
10. the role of weight loss and exercise;
11. alternative forms of treatment;
12. pain management and disease management strategies;
13. the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and risk management;
14. the use of intra-articular steroids;
15. considerations for surgical intervention; and
16. the use of disease-modifying drugs and cartilage regeneration.

Med Roundtable Gen Med Ed. 2014;1(4):270–279.