Baseline characteristics of the subjects completing the 3-year follow-up
| Parameters | Results |
|---|---|
| Number | 531 |
| Age (years) (mean±SD) | 67±10 |
| Women (% of cohort) | 72.5 |
| BMI (kg/m2, mean±SD) | 30±5 |
| BMI <30 kg/m2 (%) | 55.6 |
| Disease duration (years) | 6±7 |
| Pain on VAS (mm) | 63±18 |
| K&L score: | |
| Grade ≤2 (% patients) | 44.6 |
| Grade 3–4 (% patients) | 55.4 |
| Joint effusion (moderate–severe) at clinical examination (% patients) | 34.1 |
| US hydarthrodial effusion (% patients with effusion depth ≥4 mm) | 41.3 |
| US synovitis (% patients with synovial thickness ≥4 mm and diffuse or nodular appearance) | 16.6 |
BMI, body mass index; K&L, Kellgren and Lawrence; US, ultrasonography; VAS, visual analogue scale.