Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffThese factors may increase your risk of thumb arthritis:
- Being female
- Being age 40 or older
- Having certain hereditary conditions, including joint ligament laxity and malformed joints
- Experiencing injuries to your basal joint, such as fractures and sprains
- Having diseases that change the normal structure and function of cartilage, such as rheumatoid arthritis
- Performing certain activities and jobs that put high stress on this joint
References
- Arthritis of the thumb. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00210. Accessed March 27, 2012.
- Anakwe RE, et al. Osteoarthritis at the base of the thumb. British Medical Journal. 2011;343:1.
- Hochberg MC, et al. American College of Rheumatology 2012 recommendations for the use of nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic therapies in osteoarthritis of the hand, hip and knee. Arthritis Care & Research. 2012;64:465.
- Arthritis: Base of the thumb. American Society for Surgery of the Hand. http://www.assh.org/PUBLIC/HANDCONDITIONS/Pages/ArthritisBaseofthe.aspx. Accessed March 27, 2012.
- Osteoarthritis. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Osteoarthritis/default.asp. Accessed March 29, 2012.
- Crop JA, et al. Doctor, my thumb hurts. The Journal of Family Practice. 2011;60:329.
- Imbodin JB, et al. Current Rheumatology Diagnosis & Treatment. 2nd ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2007. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aid=2729561. Accessed March 29, 2012.
- Self-help arthritis devices. Arthritis Foundation. http://www.arthritistoday.org/treatments/self-treatments/arthritis-devices-print.php. Accessed March 29, 2012.


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