After patients are diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis, what do they do?

Abstract

Objective. To learn more about the health services and products that patients use after receiving a diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis (OA), as well as the trajectory of their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Methods. Using a simple screening survey, community pharmacists identified 194 participants with previously undiagnosed knee OA. Of these participants, 190 were confirmed to have OA on further investigation. At baseline and 1, 3, and 6 months after diagnosis, a survey was administered to assess health services, product use, and HRQOL, including the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) health survey, the Paper Adaptive Test (PAT-5D-QOL), and the Health Utilities Index Mark 3. Results. With a mean age of 63 years, participants were mostly women, white, and overweight. By 6 months, more than 90% of the participants had visited their family physician to discuss their OA, and more than 50% of participants took either prescription or nonprescription analgesics. In addition, three-quarters of the participants started exercising, one-third initiated activity aids, and one-third had started natural medicine products. At 6 months compared with baseline, significant improvements were seen in the SF-36 physical component summary (P ‫؍‬ 0.001) and bodily pain domain scores (P ‫؍‬ 0.02), the PAT-5D-QOL overall, pain, and usual daily activities scores (P < 0.001 for all), and the WOMAC total, pain, and function scores (P < 0.001 for all). Conclusion. Within 6 months of receiving a diagnosis of knee OA, participants made several lifestyle interventions, often without the advice of a health professional, and saw improvements in their pain and function.

Perfil clínico, grado de afectación y manejo terapéutico de pacientes con artrosis en atención primaria: estudio multicéntrico nacional EVALÚA

“…Así hemos encontrado que existe un predominio de mujeres (77,8%) independientemente de la localización de la artrosis, que la edad media de los participantes es de 68 años y, a su vez, se objetivó un predominio de sobrepeso y obesidad (el 38,9 y el 47,6%, respectivamente) en los participantes en el estudio. Todos estos resultados son consistente con otros estudios epidemiológicos y revisiones publicadas 10,12,13,[15][16][17][18] .…”

Longitudinal Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among Older Adults With Radiographic Knee Osteoarthritis

“…43 The potential for increased gastrointestinal toxicity warrants closer attention in the elderly as this population is at higher risk of NSAID-induced gastrointestinal bleeding due to aging-related physiological changes 44 and misuse of analgesics. 45 …”

Daily Symptom Management Practices for Arthritis Used by Older Adults

“…The content of self-management strategies varies according to the age, gender, socioeconomic status, and other characteristics of persons with arthritis (Keefe et al, 2000). Follow-up of individuals diagnosed with arthritis indicates they rapidly adopt medical and lifestyle modifications in attempts to self-manage symptoms and improve quality of life (Grindrod et al, 2010). …”