Aging clinical and experimental research
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This study aimed at examining factors related to osteoarthritis (OA) symptom severity in African American and Caucasian veterans (n=202). ⋯ Among this sample of veterans, African Americans had significantly higher WOMAC scores than Caucasians after controlling for other important demographic and clinical factors. Different and more intense treatment strategies may be needed for African American veterans with OA.
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Comparative Study
Health-related quality of life in older adults with symptomatic hip and knee osteoarthritis: a comparison with matched healthy controls.
Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) assessment is receiving increasing attention as an outcome measure in osteoarthritis (OA). The aims of this study were to compare HRQOL among older adults aged 55 to 78 years with hip and/or knee OA with those without OA, and to assess the influence of selected variables (sex, body mass index, radiographic OA severity, educational level, comorbidities) on HRQOL. ⋯ Older adults with OA of the lower extremities undergo a significant impact on multiple dimensions of HRQOL, compared with healthy controls. The use of a generic measure of HRQOL such as the SF-36, in studies of OA where comorbidity is common, should be useful in characterizing the global burden of this disease.