Knee Replacements Up Dramatically Among Adults 45 to 64 Years Old

AHRQ News and Numbers, November 3, 2011

Women and men ages 45 to 64 were 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalized for knee replacement surgery in 2009 than in 1997, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

AHRQ's analysis of hospital stays for knee replacement surgery from 1997 to 2009 found that:

• The rate for women ages 45 to 64 jumped from 16 to 42 stays per 10,000 people, while for men the same age, the rate climbed from 11 to 28 stays per 10,000 people.
• The rates for women and men 65 to 84 rose by 69 percent and 55 percent, respectively-from 72 to 122 stays and from 58 to 90 stays per 10,000 people.
• Among those age 85 years and older, rates increased by 23 percent for women (from about 27 to 33 stays per 10,000 people) and 36 percent for men (from about 27 to 36 stays per 10,000 people).

This AHRQ News and Numbers summary is based on data from HCUP Facts and Figures: Statistics on Hospital-Based Care in the United States, 2009, which provides highlights of the latest data from the 2009 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a part of AHRQ's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. The report provides data on leading reasons for hospitalization, such as arthritis, asthma, childbirth, cancer, diabetes, depression, and heart conditions, on procedures performed on hospital patients, and other related topics.

For additional information, or to speak with an AHRQ data expert, please contact Linwood Norman at Linwood.Norman@ahrq.hhs.gov or call (301) 427-1248.