Relationships between physical performance and knee and hip osteoarthritis: findings from the European Project on Osteoarthritis (EPOSA).
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to examine the relationships between hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) and physical performance (PP), particularly walking speed, chair rises, and balance, in older adults across six European countries.
Results Summary
The study found that clinical knee OA, hip OA, or both were significantly associated with lower physical performance, with the highest risk observed in individuals with OA at both sites. These relationships remained robust even after adjusting for confounders like pain, age, gender, and body mass index.
Population
2,942 men and women aged 65-85 years from Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.
Effective Dosage
Not available
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Clinical knee OA | increase | low physical performance | men and women aged 65-85 years from Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK | OR (95% CI) 2.93 (2.36, 3.64) | associated with a higher risk of | #1 |
Clinical hip OA | increase | low physical performance | men and women aged 65-85 years from Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK | OR (95% CI) 3.79 (2.49, 5.76) | associated with a higher risk of | #2 |
Clinical knee and hip OA | increase | low physical performance | men and women aged 65-85 years from Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK | OR (95% CI) 7.22 (3.63, 14.38) | associated with a higher risk of | #3 |
Advanced age | increase | low physical performance | men and women aged 65-85 years from Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK | - | independently associated with | #4 |
Female gender | increase | low physical performance | men and women aged 65-85 years from Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK | - | independently associated with | #5 |
Lower educational attainment | increase | low physical performance | men and women aged 65-85 years from Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK | - | independently associated with | #6 |
Abstinence from alcohol | increase | low physical performance | men and women aged 65-85 years from Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK | - | independently associated with | #7 |
Higher body mass index | increase | low physical performance | men and women aged 65-85 years from Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK | - | independently associated with | #8 |
BACKGROUND: poor physical performance (PP) is known to be associated with disability, lower quality of life and higher mortality rates. Knee and hip osteoarthritis (OA) might be expected to contribute to poor PP, through joint pain and restricted range of movement. Both clinical and self-reported OA are often used for large-scale community and epidemiological studies. OBJECTIVE: to examine the relationships between hip and knee OA and PP in a large data set comprising cohorts from six European countries. METHODS: a total of 2,942 men and women aged 65-85 years from the Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK were recruited. Assessment included an interview and clinical assessment for OA. PP was determined from walking speed, chair rises and balance (range 0-12); low PP was defined as a score of ≤9. RESULTS: the mean (SD) age was 74.2 (5.1) years. Rates of self-reported OA were much higher than clinical OA. Advanced age, female gender, lower educational attainment, abstinence from alcohol and higher body mass index were independently associated with low PP. Clinical knee OA, hip OA or both were associated with a higher risk of low PP; OR (95% CI) 2.93 (2.36, 3.64), 3.79 (2.49, 5.76) and 7.22 (3.63, 14.38), respectively, with relationships robust to adjustment for the confounders above as well as pain. CONCLUSION: lower limb OA at the hip and knee is associated with low PP, and for clinical diagnosis relationships are robust to adjustment for pain. Those at highest risk have clinical OA at both sites.