Association of hand and knee osteoarthritis: evidence for a polyarticular disease subset

Ann Rheum Dis. 1996 Jan;55(1):25-9. doi: 10.1136/ard.55.1.25.

Abstract

Objective: To examine the association between hand and knee osteoarthritis (OA) in a community based population.

Methods: Radiographs of 695 participants aged > or = 40 years in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging were read for changes of OA, using Kellgren-Lawrence grade > or = 2 as the case definition.

Results: Logistic regression analyses, adjusting for age, gender and body mass index, revealed a significant association between OA in the knee and the following joint groups: distal and proximal interphalangeal (DIP, PIP) and Hand2 (OA in two or more hand joint groups) for grade 2-4 and grade 3-4 disease, and the first carpometacarpal (CMC1) joint for grade 3-4 disease.

Conclusion: There is an association between OA in hand sites and the knee. The strength of the associations increases with increasing disease severity. For the PIP site, there is a trend toward increasing strength of association for increasing numbers of affected joints and bilateral disease.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Baltimore / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Hand* / diagnostic imaging
  • Humans
  • Knee Joint* / diagnostic imaging
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Osteoarthritis / diagnostic imaging
  • Osteoarthritis / epidemiology
  • Osteoarthritis / pathology*
  • Prevalence
  • Radiography
  • Regression Analysis
  • Sex Factors