Knee Osteoarthritis among Patients attending a Rheumatology Clinic

Abstract

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disorder in the world. It is a multifactorial disease associated with pain, loss of function, and disability. Weight bearing joints like knee and hip are more commonly affected. Objective: To describe the pattern of OA in a population of rheumatology clinic attendees. Methods: The study was prospectively carried out over three years (January 2011- December 2013) in a Nigerian teaching hospital. Patients who met both the clinical and radiological diagnosis of OA were included in the study. Results: A total of 136 patients were studied. Females constituted 64.7% while men formed 35.3% of the study population. The age ranged between 40 and 84 years with the mean age of 63 years (SD ±7.91). People aged between 61and 70 years were predominantly affected. Some of the factors identified among the patients with OA included advanced age (58.1%), obesity (17.6%), sport injuries (8.1%), joint hypermobility (7.4%) and professional dancing (2.9%). Conclusion: Recognition and modification of the factors which may affect the weight bearing joints may reduce the risk of OA and prevent subsequent morbidities.

Keywords

• knee joint
• obesity
• osteoarthritis
• rheumatic diseases