Obesity is  a well-documented risk factor for the development of osteoarthritis. Total joint replacement often becomes necessary in osteoarthritis of knee  if the disease progresses.

But a new study published in Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery [American] has reported that total knee replacement surgery is not an easy option in obese people.

The study by Kerkhoffs and colleagues is a systematic literature review of twenty studies and  has been published in October issue of Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery [American].

The primary aim of this systematic literature review was to determine whether obesity has a negative influence on outcome after primary total knee arthroplasty.

Obese patients have double the rate of infection following total knee replacement surgery compared to non-obese patients.

The long-term surgical revision rate for obese patients is nearly double that for non-obese patients.

The authors concluded that obesity had a negative influence on outcome after total knee replacement. They suggest suggest that obese patients should be well-informed of the likelihood of complications following their total knee replacement, and advised to lose weight before surgery.

Source

The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. 2012 Oct;94(20):1839-1844.