Addressing Multimorbidity to Promote Physical Activity & Healthy Ageing in Osteoarthritis Requiring Arthroplasty: The AMPHORA Project
Supervisors:
Dr Phil Walmsley, School of Medicine (University of St Andrews)
Prof Peter D Donnelly, School of Medicine (University of St Andrews)
Prof Colin McCowan, School of Medicine (University of St Andrews)
Andrew Hall, School of Medicine, University of St Andrews
Summary:
Osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with an increased risk and severity of comorbid conditions such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, systemic inflammation, obesity, and polypharmacy. Broader effects include physical inactivity, psychological harm, economic hardship, and disability, all of which may drive unhealthy ageing, a reduced quality of life, and an increasing burden on health and social care services and the wider economy.
Patients awaiting joint replacement surgery are living with increasing levels of multimorbidity characterized by greater musculoskeletal disease complexity, more numerous co-morbid conditions, physical deconditioning including sarcopenia and cardiovascular decline, and poor mental health. This may result in more complex surgical admissions, technically demanding procedures, more perioperative complications, and a decreased capacity to recover satisfactory pre-morbid function.
Little is known about the effects of multimorbidity on clinical outcomes, patients’ capacity for recovery, and their potential for healthy ageing, and there is no robust approach to early diagnosis or prevention, risk prediction or mitigation. The AMPHORA project aims to characterise and address the needs of this large patient group to avert a crisis of inter-generational health inequity in the 21st century.