Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Oct 3;11(4):e70030.
doi: 10.1002/jeo2.70030. eCollection 2024 Oct.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused gender-specific declines in knee surgery rates in Sweden from 2020 to 2021

Michael Axenhus  1   2 , Martin Magnéli  1   2
Affiliations

The COVID-19 pandemic caused gender-specific declines in knee surgery rates in Sweden from 2020 to 2021

Michael Axenhus et al. J Exp Orthop. .

Abstract

Purpose: Changes in knee surgery incidence are important factors for stakeholders and healthcare providers. The aim of this study was to examine trends and patterns in knee surgeries in Sweden from 2010 to 2022. The study focuses on gender-specific and overall rates of knee surgeries.

Methods: The analysis is based on a data set sourced from national healthcare records. The data was stratified based on surgical rates and categorized by gender, year and the specific knee arthroplasty technique used. We tracked year-to-year changes in surgical rates to identify overarching patterns. We used Poisson regression to predict future trends. Comparisons were made between various surgical subcategories, such as those with and without cement in knee arthroplasty surgeries.

Results: In 2010, the rate of knee surgeries per 100,000 person-years was 518.7 for males and 448.0 for females. These rates exhibited fluctuations over time, reaching their lowest point in 2020, attributed to the pandemic's disruption of elective procedures, with 386.4 surgeries per 100,000 males and 386.3 surgeries per 100,000 females. A resurgence was observed in 2022. The rates of primary knee arthroplasty increased, with a male rate of 106.2 and a female rate of 150.7 surgeries per 100,000 inhabitants in 2010, rising to 126.8 for males and 166.2 for females in 2022.

Conclusion: This comprehensive nationwide open-source data analysis of knee surgeries in Sweden shows that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted knee surgery rates in Sweden, causing a notable decline in 2020, followed by a resurgence in 2022. Furthermore, while men had higher surgery rates than women, they experienced a larger decline in the incidence of knee surgeries compared to women. Understanding these trends is crucial for stakeholders and healthcare providers to improve resource allocation, address gender disparities, and maintain the resilience of surgical services in the face of disruptions.

Level of evidence: Level III.

Keywords: COVID‐19; Sweden healthcare; knee arthroplasty; knee surgeries; surgical trends.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Incidence of knee surgery among men and women in Sweden 2010–2022. Future trend is indicated by dotted lines. Bars indicate 95% CI. CI, confidence interval.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Primary knee arthroplasty surgeries in Sweden. The dotted line indicates future trend. Bars indicate 95% CI. CI, confidence interval.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Age groups undergoing primary knee arthroplasty surgery.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Total knee arthroplasty surgeries in Sweden per sex, with or without cement. Dotted line indicates future trend. Bars indicate 95% CI. CI, confidence interval.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Knee surgeries in people aged 64 years or younger. Bars indicate 95% CI. CI, confidence interval.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Knee surgery per sex and age group in Sweden 2010–2022. Bars indicate 95% CI. CI, confidence interval.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Anagnostakos, K. & Kohn, D. (2014) Partial knee replacement. Der Orthopade, 43(10), 874. Available from: 10.1007/s00132-014-3005-8 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ayers, D.C. , Zheng, H. , Yang, W. & Yousef, M. (2024) Gender differences in pain, function, and quality of life five years following primary total knee arthroplasty. The Journal of Arthroplasty, 39, S100–S107. Available from: 10.1016/j.arth.2024.04.031 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bedard, N.A. , Elkins, J.M. & Brown, T.S. (2020) Effect of COVID‐19 on hip and knee arthroplasty surgical volume in the United States. The Journal of Arthroplasty, 35(7), S45–S48. Available from: 10.1016/j.arth.2020.04.060 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. COVIDSurg Collaborative . (2020) Elective surgery cancellations due to the COVID‐19 pandemic: global predictive modelling to inform surgical recovery plans: elective surgery during the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic. British Journal of Surgery, 107, 1440–1449. Available from: 10.1002/bjs.11746 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Czubak‐Wrzosek, M. , Czubak, J. , Grzelecki, D. & Tyrakowski, M. (2021) The effect of the COVID‐19 pandemic on total hip and knee arthroplasty surgical volume in 2020 in Poland. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(16), 8830. Available from: 10.3390/ijerph18168830 - DOI - PMC - PubMed