According to the U.S. Department of Census, the number of centenarians could cross the 4 million mark by 2050. Although approximately 40 percent of centenarians are functionally independent, they are among those at the highest risk for disabling arthritis and fractures due to osteoporosis. With increasing age, the safety and desirability of performing hip and knee replacements (arthroplasty) may be questioned with the idea that health care resources should be spent on those who can potentially benefit from them the most, and such procedures may be too hazardous for elderly patients. However, there have been few studies on joint replacement among patients older than 90. A new study published in the August issue of Arthritis Care & Research (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/arthritiscare) found that hip and knee replacements are very infrequent among this age group, but that they should not be denied to these patients solely because of short-term life expectancy. The study was the largest to date of hip and knee replacements among centenarians.
