Hand osteoarthritis in the Abkhazian population
Introduction
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading cause of musculoskeletal morbidity in the elderly (Lawrence et al., 1998), and hands are the most frequent site of OA development (Buckwalter et al., 2000). Disability directly related to hand OA has largely been ignored, but several studies showed a significant impact of OA on hand strength and function (Dominick et al., 2005; Jones et al., 2001; Zhang et al., 2002). Previous studies revealed a different prevalence and pattern of hand OA in different populations (van Saase et al., 1989). For example, distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints were found to be more frequently and more severely affected by OA (Chaisson et al., 1997; Egger et al., 1995; Plato and Norris, 1979). The next most frequently affected joint was the first carpo-metacarpal one (CMC1), followed by the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) and the metacarpophalangeal (MP) joints (Chaisson et al., 1997; Egger et al., 1995). According to Caspi et al. (2001) the joints that were most severely affected by OA in the Israeli population were the 2nd and 3rd DIP, both CMC1 and the right interphalangeal (IP1) joints. Thus, the question of a specific pattern of hand OA remains open.
Obviously, the main variable related to hand OA development is age (Busby et al., 1991; Caspi et al., 2001; Kalichman et al., 2004; Plato and Norris, 1979). The association between hand OA progression and sex remains uncertain (Davis, 1988; Hochberg, 1991) as well as the association between body weight and hand OA (Carman et al., 1994; Hochberg et al., 1995; Oliveria et al., 1999).
Knowledge of the prevalence of hand OA in different populations, and the association with age, sex, and body weight is important from a public health perspective and can help to understand the etiology of hand OA.
The main aims of this study were: (1) to evaluate the prevalence and pattern of radiographic hand OA in an Abkhazian population-based sample; (2) to evaluate the association between prevalence of hand OA and age, sex, and body mass index (BMI); and (3) to assess whether samples from different villages have a different prevalence of hand OA.
Section snippets
Study design
Cross-sectional observational study.
Sample
The subjects of the present study were Abkhazians from rural regions of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, Abkhazian Autonomy, today an autonomous republic. The sample included 1005 individuals that had lived in small villages for more than three generations and had no intermixture with non-Abkhazian people. The data were collected during the summer of 1981, by an expedition of the Moscow University Anthropological Institute (Russia).
The Abkhazian
Results
There were 542 males in this study with a mean age of 43.9, sd 15.6 years (age range: 18–95 years) and a BMI of 24.4, sd 3.2 Kg/m2; and 463 females with a mean age of 44.9, sd 13.9 years (age range: 18–81 years) and a BMI of 25.5, sd 4.3 Kg/m2. Within this sample 33.6% of males and 35.4% of females had radiographic OA at least at one hand joint.
Table 1 presents the results of multiple regression analysis with number of affected joints as a dependent variable and age, age2, sex, BMI, and place of
Discussion
In the Abkhazian population the point prevalence of hand OA was 33.6% for males and 35.4% for females that is in accordance with the previously reported range of 29–76% (van Saase et al., 1989). This result confirms that hand OA is highly prevalent in the general population.
After the age of 65 years, the prevalence of hand OA was 87.5% for males and 83.3% for females. Other studies of hand OA prevalence in elderly individuals of various origin showed dissimilar results. Dahaghin et al. (2005),
Conclusions
In a large Abkhazian community-based sample the point prevalence of hand OA was 33.6% for males and 35.4% for females. After age 65, the prevalence of hand OA was 87.5% for males and 83.3% for females. No sex differences were found in the prevalence or number of affected hand joints. Statistically significant association was found between the number of affected joints and BMI, but not between the prevalence of hand OA and BMI. Different prevalences of radiographic hand OA were found in
References (42)
- et al.
Clinical, radiologic, demographic, and occupational aspects of hand osteoarthritis in the elderly
Semin. Arthritis Rheum.
(2001) Epidemiology of osteoarthritis
Clin. Geriatr. Med.
(1988)- et al.
Obesity and osteoarthritis of the hands in women
Osteoarthritis Cartilage
(1993) - et al.
A cross-sectional study of the association between Heberden's nodes, radiographic osteoarthritis of the hands, grip strength, disability and pain
Osteoarthritis Cartilage
(2001) - et al.
A meta-analysis of sex differences prevalence, incidence and severity of osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis Cartilage
(2005) - et al.
Obesity, overweight and patterns of osteoarthritis: the Ulm Osteoarthritis Study
J. Clin. Epidemiol.
(2000) - et al.
Joint-specific prevalence of osteoarthritis of the hand
Osteoarthritis Cartilage
(2006) - et al.
Factors associated with radiographic osteoarthritis: results from the population study 70-year-old people in Goteborg
J. Rheumatol.
(1991) - et al.
Synovial joint degeneration and the syndrome of osteoarthritis
Instr. Course Lect.
(2000) - et al.
A longitudinal study of osteoarthritis of the hand: the effect of age
Ann. Hum. Biol.
(1991)
Obesity as a risk factor for osteoarthritis of the hand and wrist: a prospective study
Am. J. Epidemiol.
Radiographic hand osteoarthritis: incidence, patterns, and influence of pre-existing disease in a population based sample
J. Rheumatol.
The association of obesity with osteoarthritis of the hand and knee in women: a twin study
J. Rheumatol.
Prevalence and pattern of radiographic hand osteoarthritis and association with pain and disability (the Rotterdam study)
Ann. Rheum. Dis.
Body fat distribution and osteoarthritis
Am. J. Epidemiol.
Osteoporosis and osteoarthritis (osteoarthrosis). Anthropometric distinctions
JAMA
Relationship of radiographic and clinical variables to pinch and grip strength among individuals with osteoarthritis
Arthritis Rheum.
Patterns of joint involvement in osteoarthritis of the hand: the Chingford Study
J. Rheumatol.
Osteoarthritis of finger joints in Finns aged 30 or over: prevalence, determinants, and association with mortality
Ann. Rheum. Dis.
The relationship of obesity, fat distribution and osteoarthritis in women in the general population: the Chingford Study
J. Rheumatol.
Epidemiology of osteoarthritis: current concepts and new insights
J. Rheumatol. Suppl.
Cited by (6)
The effect of osteoarthritis definition on prevalence and incidence estimates: A systematic review
2011, Osteoarthritis and CartilageNatural history of radiographic features of hand osteoarthritis over 10 years
2010, Osteoarthritis and CartilageCitation Excerpt :Hand osteoarthritis (OA) occurs at least as frequently as hip or knee OA, and radiographic hand OA has been reported to be as prevalent as 22–76% of middle-aged or older individuals in population-based surveys1–4.
Radiographic hand osteoarthritis in women farmers: characteristics and risk factors
2022, Annals of Occupational and Environmental MedicineHand osteoarthritis in longevity populations
2011, Aging Clinical and Experimental ResearchPrevalence, incidence and progression of hand osteoarthritis in the general population: The Framingham Osteoarthritis Study
2011, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases