VICTORIA, British Columbia (EGMN) – Adults in occupations such as building maintenance, medical support and construction have a significantly higher risk of osteoarthritis than those in other occupations, and those in military-specific occupations have the highest risk of osteoarthritis, according to a population-based cohort study in the United States. Dr. Chengwei Wang of Nassau University Medical Center reported at the Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA) annual meeting that occupations with significantly increased osteoarthritis risk included: office administrative support [relative risk (RR), 1.24], sales and related work (RR, 1.28), construction, grounds cleaning and maintenance (RR, 1.37), transportation and material moving (RR, 1.38), cooks and waiters (RR, 1.41), production (RR, 1.47), security or bodyguards (RR, 1.51), construction and demolition (RR, 1.54), equipment installation, maintenance, and repair (RR, 1.54), and military-only occupations (RR, 2.04). These findings were derived from a corrected analysis of data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which surveyed 88,202 adults across the United States between 2005 and 2009, using those in computer and mathematics-related occupations (with a lower risk of osteoarthritis) as a reference. A total of 19.5% of these subjects reported being diagnosed with osteoarthritis by their physicians. What clinicians should understand is that occupation plays an important role in the development of osteoarthritis,” Dr. Wang noted. While I don’t think people in high-risk occupations need to change careers as a result, clinicians might be able to tell these patients about protective measures rather than just prescribing them medications to deal with musculoskeletal symptoms.”