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Objective: To determine the impact of arthritis pain and quality of life among adults with arthritis-related pain in Australia.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a convenience sample of adults with arthritis-related pain in Australia from an access research panel. The survey was administered to 1039 participants who reported experiencing pain or loss of mobility as a result of their arthritis. The survey covered details of their condition, descriptions of the pain, impacts of pain on their daily lives, information regarding pain management and medication, the Measure of Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis Pain (ICOAP) tool, the EQ5D (a standardized measure of health tool) and demographic information.Results: Osteoarthritis (OA) was the most common form of arthritis (69% of respondents). The back (65%), knees (64%) and fingers (61%) were the regions in which pain was most commonly reported; 87% of respondents reported that their pain tended to change in intensity, with exercise and cold weather producing significantly increased levels of pain. Forty-seven percent of patients reported that the worst impact of arthritis was on their capacity to carry out activities of daily living. The majority of patients (71%) found their pain management programs to be of 'medium effectiveness' or 'fairly effective', although 17% described it as ineffective. Conclusion:Persons with arthritis in Australia demonstrate marked pain-related functional impairment characterized by difficulty with many aspects of daily activity. The results suggest that a substantial benefit may be derived from increased awareness of the disease and increased knowledge about the potential for improved management.

Background Thumb-base osteoarthritis (OA) is a common cause of pain and disability This study aimed to investigate the associations of musculoskeletal ultrasound OA pathologies with the extent of pain, function, radiographic scores, and muscle strength in symptomatic thumb-base osteoarthritis. Methods This is a cross-sectional study of an ongoing clinical trial with eligibility criteria including thumb-base pain on Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) ≥40 (0 to 100 mm), Functional Index for Hand OA (FIHOA) ≥ 6 (0 to 30) and Kellgren Lawrence (KL) grade ≥ 2. The most symptomatic side was scanned to measure synovitis and osteophyte severity using a 0–3 semi-quantitative score, power Doppler and erosion in binary score. A linear regression model was used for associations of ultrasound findings with VAS pain, FIHOA and hand grip and pinch strength tests after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, disease duration and KL grade as appropriate. For correlation of ultrasound features with KL grade, OARSI ((Osteoarthritis Research Society International) osteophyte and JSN scores, Eaton grades, Spearman coefficients were calculated, and a significant test defined as a p -value less than 0.05. Results The study included 93 participants (mean age of 67.04 years, 78.5% females). Presence of power Doppler has a significant association with VAS pain [adjusted β coefficient = 11.29, P = 0.02] while other ultrasound pathologies revealed no significant associations with all clinical outcomes. In comparison to radiograph, ultrasonographic osteophyte score was significantly associated with KL grade [r s = 0.44 ( P < 0.001)], OARSI osteophyte grade [r s = 0.35 ( P = 0.001)], OARSI JSN grade [r s = 0.43 (P < 0.001)] and Eaton grade [r s = 0.30 ( P < 0.01)]. Ultrasonographic erosion was significantly related with radiographic erosion [r s = − 0.49 (P = 0.001)]. Conclusion From a clinical perspective the significant relationship of power Doppler with pain severity in thumb base OA suggests this might be a useful tool in understanding pain aetiology. It is important to recognise that power Doppler activity was only detected in 14% of the study so this might be an important subgroup of persons to monitor more closely. Trial registration Registered at Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR), http://www.anzctr.org.au/ , ACTRN12616000353493.