Hip and knee replacements have long been known to reduce pain and increase mobility in persons with moderate-to-severe arthritis. A study presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) also found that total joint replacement (TJR) may reduce the risk for cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and stroke, and boost long-term survival.

Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Osteoarthritis causes pain and limits mobility.

More recently, "there is a growing body of evidence that suggests that arthritis is associated with increased mortality secondary to cardiovascular disease, and that this risk is proportional to the degree of disability secondary to arthritis," said Bheeshma Ravi, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon at the University of Toronto Medical Center. Dr. Ravi is the lead author of the study, "TJA Appears Cardioprotective in Patients with Moderate severe OA: A propensity-score Matched Landmark Analysis."

The study utilized a cohort of 2,200 individuals with hip/knee OA aged 55 years and older at recruitment (1996-1998). Outcome was compared for 162 matched pairs of subjects with moderate to severe arthritis who did versus did not receive a primary TJA within an exposure period of three years following their baseline assessment. The groups were similar in terms of age, sex, body mass index and medical comorbidities. Half of the patients received TJR and half did not.

The study found that patients who received a hip or knee replacement were more than 40 percent less likely to have a serious cardiovascular event, including a myocardial infarction, stroke, emergent coronary revascularization or death resulting from any of the above.

The study authors concluded that TJR has a cardioprotective benefit in persons with moderate-to-severe arthritis of the hip or knee, possibly due to the increased capability for moderate physical activity (such as a brisk walk several times a week), which has "direct benefits for hypertension, obesity and diabetes, all of which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease and all of which are highly prevalent in individuals with osteoarthritis," said Dr. Ravi.