A profile of knee osteoarthritis patients attending Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Hospital, Ragama

Abstract

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the single most common cause of disability in older adults and 10% to 15% of all adults aged over 60 have some degree of OA. Data on OA is scarce in Sri Lanka and this study was done to describe the profile of OA patients who are attending the RRH. METHODS: Systematic sampling was used to recruit patients. Sample characteristics were presented using descriptive statistics. Wilcoxon Rank Sum test was used for group comparisons and a P value of< 0.05 was considered as significant. RESULTS: Of255 clinic attending patients, median age of the patients was 57 (IQR: 50 - 65) years, 235 (92%) were females and 61 (24%) were employed. Median (IQR) weight and body mass index of patients were 69.0 (62.0 -76.7) kg and 30.0 (27.1 - 32.9) respectively. Among them, 49.6% were obese (BMI > 30), 36.6% (BMI between 25 and 30) were overweight, 0.9% were underweight. Females showed significantly high BMI compared to males (30.0 (27.4 - 33.1) vs 27.5 (23.5 - 30.1), P < 0.01). Median (IQR) waist and hip measurement were 95.0 (88.0 -102.0) cm, 108.0 (102.0 - 114.0) cm and waist hip ratio (IQR) for females was 0.87 (0.83 - 0.91) and males was 0.97 (0.96 - 0.98) respectively. CONCLUSION: Majority of clinic attending OA patients were females and more than 85% of patients were either overweight or obese. Weight reduction programs are necessary for these patients and should be encouraged at early age to prevent OA in later life.