Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of hand osteoarthritis (hOA) in a population with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) at baseline and one year following the administration of a multi-professional OA educational program correlating symptoms and changes in BMI with function questionnaires of the upper limbs and direct grip strength measurements. Design: Epidemiological study of the prevalence of hand OA in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire instruments (HAQ); Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand* (DASH); grip strength; and finger pinch were utilized, and the upper limbs symptoms were verified at baseline and one year following the educational program. Results: The prevalence of hOA was 23.7% at baseline and 47.4% at one year (incidence of 31.8% per year). The HAQ indicated that patients who did not alter or increased their BMI experienced worsened global strength, whereas patients who reduced BMI improved global strength (p = 0.041). Patients with higher initial BMIs experienced less improvement in the HAQ (r = −0.148, p = 0.041). The DASH results improved, but the right and left tripod grip worsened in all patients, irrespective of BMI change (p < 0.05) or symptoms at baseline and reassessment (p < 0.05). Pinch strength (right and left tripod and left pulp-pulp) was higher in V. C. Kuhn et al. 2 patients without symptoms at baseline (p = 0.048, p = 0.045 and 0.033, respectively). Conclusions: The prevalence of hand OA increased for patients with OA undergoing an educational program irrespective of improved upper function and regardless of BMI change. Patients who decreased their BMI improved their global strength.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of a clinical management program involving education on hand function in patients with rhizarthritis. Methods:One hundred and eight patients with rhizarthritis and multiple arthritis (191 hands with clinical and radiographic rhizarthritis) followed for two years as part of an educational program on osteoarthritis were administered the SF-36, DASH, and HAQ questionnaires and measured for the strength of their palmar grip, pulp to pulp pinch, key (lateral) pinch, and tripod pinch at the time of inclusion and after 24 months. Age, race, level and frequency of physical activity, sex, body mass index, percentage of body fat, and degree of osteoarthritis were correlated to the test outcomes. Results:Women improved less than men on the HAQ (p=0.037). Each 1% reduction in fat percentage increased the chance of HAQ score improvement by 9.2% (p=0.038). Physical activity did not influence improvement in the parameters evaluated (p>0.05). Palmar grip improvement was affected by age and presence of rhizarthritis (p<0.05); patients with unilateral rhizarthritis improved 5.3 times more than patients without the disease (p=0.015), while improvement in palmar grip strength decreased 6.8% per year (p=0.004). Pulp pinch grip strength improved more in women than in men (p=0.018). Conclusion:Patients with rhizarthritis and multiple arthritis improved quality of life and grip strength through clinical treatment, an educational program, and fat loss. Level of Evidence II; Retrospective study.

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