Which statement about arthrosis is NOT true?

• A. There is a close correlation between symptoms and radiological abnormalities
• B. It is the most frequent musculoskeletal problem after age 50
• C. Primary and secondary forms exist
• D. Most frequent form is Heberden arthrosis

Answer: (A)

In osteoarthritis the main point is that symptoms do not track closely with radiographic changes. Pain, stiffness, and functional limitation often do not mirror what an X‑ray shows, and you can have substantial symptoms with only mild radiographic findings or severe radiographic damage with relatively less pain. This mismatch is why the statement about a close correlation is not true.

After age 50, osteoarthritis is very common and represents a leading musculoskeletal problem in older adults, reflecting its high prevalence and impact on joints such as the knees, hips, and hands. It tends to increase with age and with risk factors like prior joint injury and obesity.

Osteoarthritis can arise without a known cause (primary) or as a result of an identifiable factor or joint abnormality (secondary), so both forms exist in clinical practice.

In the hand, a classic and frequent pattern is osteoarthritis of the distal interphalangeal joints with Heberden nodes, making Heberden arthrosis a common description of this form.