A study presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) found that total joint replacement (TJR) may reduce the risk for “cardiac events”, such as stroke and heart attack, and boost long-term survival. For the study, researchers reviewed the medical data and outcomes of patients, aged 55 years and older, with hip and knee arthritis between 1996 and 1998. The groups were similar in terms of age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and medical comorbidities.
Half of the participants in the study had received TJR and half did not. The study revealed that patients who received a hip or knee replacement were more than 40% less likely to have a severe cardiovascular event, including a heart attack or stroke, or death resulting from any of the conditions. The authors of the study concluded that TJR has a cardioprotective benefit in persons with moderate-to-severe arthritis of the hip or knee possibly due to the increased capability for moderate physical activity.
A news report from Science Daily notes that the cardioprotective benefit has “direct benefits for hypertension, obesity and diabetes, all of which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease and all of which are highly prevalent in individuals with osteoarthritis,” according to lead author of the study Bheeshma Ravi, MD.
Sources: Science Daily, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
