Total hip arthroplasty in patients aged 40 to 60 years old: a population-based study

Introduction — Contemporary total hip arthroplasty (THA) has resolved many implant longevity concerns in younger patients. Patients in their fourth and fifth decades of life are projected to be the fastest growing demographic of THA patients. We aimed to assess this demographic to evaluate the: 1) rate of THA over time; 2) cumulative incidence of revision; and 3) identify risk factors for revision.

Methods — A retrospective population-based study of patients between 40 and 60 years old undergoing primary THA was conducted using administrative data from a large clinical data repository. A total of 28,414 patients were included for analysis with a mean age of 53 years (range, 40-60 years) and median follow up of 9 years (range, 0-17 years). Linear regressions were used to assess annual rates of THA in this cohort over time. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to determine cumulative incidence of revision. Multivariate cox proportional hazards models were used to determine association of variables with revision risk.

Results — The annual rate of THA in our population increased by 60.7% over the study period (P <0.0001). Cumulative incidence of revision was 2.9% at 5-years and 4.8% at 10-years. Younger age, women, non-osteoarthritis diagnosis, medical complications, and annual surgeon volume < 60 THA were associated with increased revision risk.

Conclusion — Demand for THA continues to dramatically increase in this cohort. Risk of revision was low but multiple risk factors were identified. Future studies will help delineate the effect of these variables on revision risk and assess implant survivorship beyond 10 years.