Arthritis Risk Factors

Key points

  • Anyone can get arthritis.
  • However, some people are more likely to get arthritis than others based on factors like age, sex, and medical history.
  • Certain experiences and behaviors can also increase your risk for arthritis.
Healthy foods and dumbbells for exercising

Who's at risk

Anyone can get arthritis. But certain groups of people may be more likely to develop arthritis.

Men and women

Some types of arthritis may be more likely to affect men, while other types may be more likely to affect women.

  • Women are more likely to develop osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia than men.
  • Men are more likely to develop gout than women.
  • The reasons for these sex differences are not well understood.

Older adults

Arthritis can happen at any age, but your risk of getting arthritis increases as you get older. This is because as you get older:

  • Swelling (inflammation) may affect your body and joints.
  • You may lose muscle, which is needed for stable joints.
    • Having low muscle mass can increase your risk of falls and joint injuries.

People with a family history of arthritis

You may be more likely to develop certain types of arthritis if you have a family history or family member with arthritis. The types of arthritis that can be passed on through family include:

  • Rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Lupus.
  • A type of arthritis in the spine called ankylosing spondylitis.

People with overweight or obesity

People who have overweight or obesity are more likely to get knee osteoarthritis.

  • Extra weight puts more stress on your joints.
  • This can also make knee or hip osteoarthritis pain worse.
Diverse group of middle-age and older adults stretching in the park
Physical activity can help prevent or delay arthritis.

Other risk factors

Smoking

Smoking can increase your risk of getting rheumatoid arthritis and can make arthritis worse.

Smoking can also make it harder to be physically active, which is important for managing arthritis symptoms.

If you want to quit smoking, help is available.‎‎‎‎

Visit How to Quit, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW, or text QUITNOW to 333888.A

Infections

Some infections cause joints to swell, become red, or feel warm—all of which can increase the risk of arthritis.

Examples of these infections include:

  • Lyme disease.
  • Staphylococcus infection.
  • Gonorrhea.

Joint injury

  • Some joint injuries can increase risk of osteoarthritis later in life in the same joint.
  • For example, people who have injured their ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) of the knee are more likely to get osteoarthritis in that knee later in life.
  • Joint injuries can happen when playing sports, from falls and accidents, or from work-related activities.
  • Osteoarthritis is more common among adults with jobs that require a lot of:
    • Bending.
    • Squatting.
    • Other repetitive motions.

Military service

People who served in the military, or veterans, are more likely to have arthritis. This may be from injuries sustained during military service.1

Arthritis Among Veterans‎

1 in 3 veterans have arthritis compared with 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. overall.1

Resources

There are ways to lower your chances of getting arthritis, such as being physically active and keeping a healthy weight. Explore the resources below for strategies that can help prevent arthritis or can slow it down from worsening:

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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)
  1. Message and data rates may apply.
  1. Fallon EA, Boring MA, Foster AL, et al. Arthritis prevalence among veterans — United States, 2017–2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2023;72:1209–1216. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7245a1
  • Lites TD, Foster AL, Boring MA, et al. Arthritis among children and adolescents aged <18 years — United States, 2017–2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2023;72:788–792. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7229a3
  • Fallon EA, Boring MA, Foster AL, et al. Prevalence of diagnosed arthritis — United States, 2019–2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2023;72:1101–1107. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7241a1
  • Trojian T, Driban J, Nuti R, et al. Osteoarthritis Action Alliance consensus opinion - best practice features of anterior cruciate ligament and lower limb injury prevention programs. World J Orthop. 2017;8(9):726–734. Published 2017 Sep 18. doi:10.5312/wjo.v8.i9.726
  • Lo GH, Vinod S, Richard MJ, et al. Association between walking for exercise and symptomatic and structural progression in individuals with knee osteoarthritis: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative Cohort. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2022;74(10):1660–1667. doi:10.1002/art.42241
  • Osteoarthritis Action Alliance, Secondary Prevention Task Group, Driban JB, Vincent HK, et al. Evidence review for preventing osteoarthritis after an anterior cruciate ligament injury: an Osteoarthritis Action Alliance consensus statement. J Athl Train. 2023;58(3):198–219. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-0504.22
  • Si J, Sun L, Li Z, Zhu W, Yin W, Peng L. Effectiveness of home-based exercise interventions on pain, physical function and quality of life in individuals with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Orthop Surg Res. 2023;18(1):503. Published 2023 Jul 17. doi:10.1186/s13018-023-04004-z
  • Goh SL, Persson MSM, Stocks J, et al. Efficacy and potential determinants of exercise therapy in knee and hip osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Phys Rehabil Med. 2019;62(5):356–365. doi:10.1016/j.rehab.2019.04.006
  • Korzeniowska A, Bryl E. Infectious and Commensal Bacteria in Rheumatoid Arthritis-Role in the Outset and Progression of the Disease. Int J Mol Sci. 2024;25(6):3386. Published 2024 Mar 16. doi:10.3390/ijms25063386
  • Moussiegt A, François C, Belmonte O, et al. Gonococcal arthritis: case series of 58 hospital cases. Clin Rheumatol. 2022;41(9):2855–2862. doi:10.1007/s10067-022-06208-w
  • Lochhead RB, Strle K, Arvikar SL, Weis JJ, Steere AC. Lyme arthritis: linking infection, inflammation and autoimmunity. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2021;17(8):449–461. doi:10.1038/s41584-021-00648-5