Summary Purpose: To quantify the prevalence of radiographic hand osteoarthritis (OA) among a group of community-dwelling individuals. Joint-specific prevalence rates/100 of radiographic OA of the hand were quantified and reported by age, gender, and dominant hand. Methods: Data from a community-based, longitudinal study designed to follow the natural history of OA were used. Participants were ambulatory men and women, ages 40 years and older, with and without radiographic hand OA (N ¼ 3327). Bilateral hand OA was examined at three joints: second distal interphalangeal joints (DIP), third proximal interphalangeal joints (PIP), and first carpometacarpal joint of the thumb (CMC). The ordinal scale of Kellgren and Lawrence (0e4) was used to determine OA status (grades 2þ). Results: Radiographic hand OA status was determined for all persons in the study group comprised of 2302 women (69%) and 1025 men (31%). The sample sizes for the age groups (years) were 532 (40e49), 905 (50e59), 998 (60e69), 749 (70e79), and 143 (80þ). Overall, the DIP joint demonstrated the highest OA prevalence, while the PIP joint showed the lowest prevalence. Joint-specific hand OA prevalence rates for second DIP, third PIP, and first CMC were 35%, 18%, and 21%, respectively. Expectedly, hand OA prevalence for all joints increased with age. With exceptions, women demonstrated higher hand OA prevalence rates for the three sites examined. However, among men aged 40e49, the second DIP joint OA rate was higher (13%) compared with women (8%). Additionally, men in that age group demonstrated an elevated first CMC joint OA rate (9%) compared with women (5%). Gender-specific hand dominance analyses demonstrated that the majority of individuals with unilateral second DIP or third PIP OA presented in their dominant hand. However, among those with unilateral first CMC OA, both genders displayed a tendency to present in their nondominant hand. Conclusion: These findings suggest the need for further investigation of the role gender can play in the development of hand OA in populations under 60 years of age. Additional epidemiological studies addressing hand OA will serve to bridge the gap between the current levels of knowledge about the knee and the hand. The disease burden of hand OA affects a large percentage of the population. Research efforts that more exhaustively characterize the prevalence of hand OA may contribute toward interventions that, ultimately, impact a rapidly growing segment of our population. a 2006 OsteoArthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Among the elderly, osteoarthritis often causes chronic pain and disability. Although research has addressed the association between exercise and osteoarthritis, few studies have examined the effect of exercise on the radiographic progression of osteoarthritis. We investigated the relationship between ongoing exercise and radiographic progression of foot osteoarthritis. The first metatarsophalangeal and medial cuneiform–first tarsometatarsal joints were assessed. Joint-specific osteoarthritis radiographic progression scores were determined using four assessments: joint space narrowing, osteophytes, sclerosis, and a composite score. This cohort study included a subset of 221 men and women aged 40 to 91 years participating in a community-based osteoarthritis study. Adjusted risk estimates (95% confidence intervals) summarizing the relationship between ongoing exercise and radiographic progression in the first metatarsophalangeal joint ranged from 0.34 (0.11–0.99) for osteophytes to 0.66 (0.23–1.92) for sclerosis; because only eight individuals experienced medial cuneiform–first tarsometatarsal joint progression, these estimates were less stable, ranging from 2.41 (0.49–11.83) for composite to 4.29 (0.11–166.52) for osteophytes. Overall, our findings do not suggest that regular exercise is a risk factor for foot osteoarthritis progression. Future replication studies are warranted to confirm these findings. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 95(4): 342–346, 2005)
The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to evaluate the association between increased hindfoot valgus and the subsequent development of osteoarthritis of the first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint. Specifically, our hypothesis was that among individuals free from first MTP joint osteoarthritis, those who have positive hindfoot valgus are more likely to develop first MTP joint osteoarthritis than are those individuals with normal hindfoot alignment.Our sample consisted of 1592 men and women, 40 years of age or older, participating in the Clearwater Osteoarthritis Study (1988 to 2001). Biennial physical examinations, including serial radiographs, were conducted. The Kellgren and Lawrence ordinal scale was used to determine radiographic evidence (grades 2+) of the study outcomes and incidence of first MTP joint osteoarthritis. Standing hindfoot valgus was assessed visually by a registered nurse, with a hindfoot valgus measurement of more than 5 degrees classified as a positive hindfoot valgus.Individuals with hindfoot valgus were 23% more likely to subsequently develop first MTP joint osteoarthritis than were those without hindfoot malalignment (risk ratio = 1.23; p-value < 0.006). This risk estimate reflects the potential influence of age, gender, and body mass index.Our data suggest that hindfoot valgus may increase the risk of developing foot osteoarthritis. The association of hindfoot valgus with first MTP joint osteoarthritis in this epidemiological assessment is supportive of the mechanical theory for the development of osteoarthritis. The authors speculate that future, related studies may determine that osteoarthritis prevention strategies can be broadened to include individuals with positive hindfoot valgus.
The value of exercise for people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) receives continuing consideration. The optimal length of study follow-up time remains unclear. A group of individuals with knee OA participating in an exercise intervention was followed for 2 years. The authors quantified the change in knee-pain scores during Months 1-12 and during Months 13-24. Eleven individuals with radiographic knee OA and knee-pain scores of 2+ were evaluated. Pain scores were collected weekly from participants who exercised three times a week. Participants demonstrated pain reduction during both time periods. Pain reduction during Months 13-24, -10.7%, was slightly higher than pain reduction during Months 1-12, -7.8%. Among people with knee OA who exercise, these findings suggest that knee-pain amelioration continues beyond 12 months. Clinicians should consider encouraging long-term exercise programs for knee-OA patients. To best characterize the effect of exercise on knee pain, researchers designing clinical trials might want to lengthen the studies' duration.
To evaluate the association between vitamin C supplementation and the incidence and progression of radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA).Prospective cohort study.Clearwater Osteoarthritis Study (COS): (1988 to the present) a longitudinal study.Male and female COS participants aged 40 years and above (n 1023). The study exposure was the participants' self-reported history of vitamin C supplementation. The participants underwent biennial, sequential knee radiographs, which were assessed using the Kellgren-Lawrence ordinal scale to determine evidence of the study 2 outcomes: incident radiographic knee OA (RKOA) and progression of RKOA.Individuals without baseline knee OA who self-reported vitamin C supplement usage were 11% less likely to develop knee OA than were those individuals who self-reported no vitamin C supplement usage (risk ratio (RR)=0.89, 95% CI 0.85, 0.93). Among those participants with RKOA at baseline, vitamin C supplement usage did not demonstrate an association with RKOA progression (RR=0.94, 95% CI 0.79, 1.22).In the present prospective cohort study, we found no evidence to support a protective role of vitamin C in the progression of knee OA. However, after controlling for confounding variables, these data suggest that vitamin C supplementation may indeed be beneficial in preventing incident knee OA. Given the massive public health burden of OA, the use of a simple, widely available and inexpensive supplement to potentially reduce the impact of this disease merits further consideration.
