High-tech diagnosis machines in 20 hospitals around China will soon help patients cope with osteoarthritis, a disease caused by aging joints, injury and obesity. A charity program initiated in Beijing on April 23 aims to raise public awareness of the disease and to improve patient care.

About 10 percent of the Chinese population suffers from the degenerative joint disease. From 1990 to 2000, the incidence of knee osteoarthritis in China increased 45 percent, and 21.3 percent of the patients suffer from disability in the joints caused by the disease. The rate in China is second-highest in the world, according to Tao Maoxuan, vice-president with China Association of Health Promotion and Education.

The development of the disease is related with aging, genetic factors, obesity and injury, and symptoms include joint pain and stiffness.

Treatment depends on the affected joint, including the hand, wrist, neck, back, knee and hip, and involves medication and exercise. Knees are particularly vulnerable. For overweight patients, weight loss may provide relief from osteoarthritis symptoms, international experts say.

However, in China, the public is not fully aware of the disease, and together with Pfizer China, the association initiates the program to change that, Tao says.

The high-tech diagnosis machines being made available to patients in different areas of China will allow patients to get questions answered about their specific joint condition, before they seek further treatment.

There will also be a series of lectures and free service from top medical experts in the field across China, to provide the public with more knowledge about the disease.

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