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Review
. 2024 Apr 18;13(8):2341.
doi: 10.3390/jcm13082341.

Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis: A Biological Advantage or a Missed Diagnosis?

Camille Crane  1 , Caleb Wagner  2 , Stephen Wong  2 , Bryce Hall  1 , Jillian Hull  2 , Katharine Irwin  1 , Kaitlin Williams  1 , Amanda Brooks  2
Affiliations
Review

Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis: A Biological Advantage or a Missed Diagnosis?

Camille Crane et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

(1) Background: Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that is commonly diagnosed in the aging population. Interestingly, the lower extremity joints have a higher published incidence of osteoarthritis than the upper extremity joints. Although much is known about the disease process, it remains unclear why some joints are more affected than others. (2) Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted utilizing the search engines PubMed, Google Scholar, and Elsevier from 2014 to 2024, directing our search to osteoarthritis of various joints, with the focus being on glenohumeral osteoarthritis. (3) Results and Discussion: The literature review revealed a publication difference, which may be explained by the inconsistency in classification systems utilized in the diagnosis of shoulder osteoarthritis. For instance, there are six classification systems employed in the diagnosis of glenohumeral osteoarthritis, making the true incidence and, therefore, the prevalence unobtainable. Furthermore, susceptibility to osteoarthritis in various joints is complicated by factors such as joint anatomy, weight-bearing status, and prior injuries to the joint. (4) Conclusions: This review reveals the lack of understanding of shoulder osteoarthritis's true incidence and prevalence while considering the anatomy and biomechanics of the glenohumeral joint. In addition, this is the first paper to suggest a single criterion for the diagnosis of glenohumeral osteoarthritis.

Keywords: glenohumeral joint; glenohumeral osteoarthritis; glenohumeral osteoarthritis incidence; glenohumeral osteoarthritis prevalence; glenohumeral osteoarthritis radiographic classification; shoulder osteoarthritis; shoulder osteoarthritis diagnostic classification system.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) A healthy shoulder joint demonstrating normal cartilage and structures and (b) an osteoarthritic shoulder joint over time compared to a healthy shoulder. Independently created by Hannah L. Wong.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Risk factors for glenohumeral OA and (b) risk factors for knee OA. Created with BioRender.com.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Global incidence of osteoarthritis in the knee, hip, hand, and shoulder joints in the United States. Created with BioRender.com.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The glenohumeral joint in (a) a CPP and in (b) an MLPP and the knee joint in (c) a CPP and in (d) an MLPP. Independently created by Hannah L. Wong.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Current GHOA diagnosis flowchart. Created with BioRender.com.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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