According to the investment advisory Seeking Alpha, China presently has around 200 million people over the age of 60. Eight million will be added to that number every year which, by 2050, should bring the total to 400 million. That is more people than the entire current population of the United States.
China – World’s Largest Orthopedic Market
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Aging is generally considered to be the driver and one of the most important factors leading to the expansion of orthopedics as the wear and tear of the musculoskeletal system creates degenerative medical conditions in the elderly population.
The company Frost & Sullivan expects the Chinese orthopedic implant market to grow to 16.6 billion in 2015, moving it from the eighth largest in 2005 to the third largest in 2010, and to the second largest in 2015, surpassing Japan.
China, with its large and aging population base, represents what is probably the largest addressable market for orthopedics in the world. Although China’s orthopedic market experienced 18% annual growth over the past several years, it is still less than one-tenth that of the U.S. market.
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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