PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Waldron, H A
TI  - Association between osteoarthritis of the hand and knee in a population of skeletons from London
AID  - 10.1136/ard.56.2.116
DP  - 1997 Feb 01
TA  - Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
PG  - 116--118
VI  - 56
IP  - 2
4099  - http://ard.bmj.com/content/56/2/116.short
4100  - http://ard.bmj.com/content/56/2/116.full
SO  - Ann Rheum Dis1997 Feb 01; 56
AB  - OBJECTIVE To examine the relation between osteoarthritis of the hand and knee in a group of skeletons dating to the 18th and early 19th centuries from two sites in London.METHODS This was a case-control study of 115 cases and controls matched for age and sex. Cases were skeletons with osteoarthritis of the hands; cases and controls were assessed for the presence of osteoarthritis of any compartment of the knee.RESULTS Cases had a significant odds ratio (OR) for osteoarthritis of the knee compared with controls: OR 5.98, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25 to 56.37. Cases with osteoarthritis of the distal interphalangeal (DIP), proximal interphalangeal (PIP), and first carpometacarpal (CMC1) joints had increased but non-significant odds ratios for osteoarthritis of the knee in the order DIP > PIP > CMC1. Cases with multifocal osteoarthritis of the hands had a significantly increased odds ratio for osteoarthritis of the knee: OR 11.67, 95% CI 1.13 to 379.57.CONCLUSIONS The study confirms the association between osteoarthritis of the hand and the knee seen in contemporary populations and suggests that it is not of very recent origin.