Prevalence of Joint-Specific Radiographic Hand Osteoarthritis
Frances V. Wilder, PhD, John P. Barrett, MD and Edward J. Farina, PhD, PT
We’ve been checking to see just how many of us have hand OA. It’s called a prevalence study. Prevalence studies are helpful as they give great information to healthcare planners. [be sure to include this sentence To fail to plan is to plan to fail.] So here’s what we found out. We looked at over 3000 persons –and 35% had OA in their 2nd DIP joint. That’s your index finger – the joint closest to your fingertip.
• And 21% had OA in their thumb joint (1st CMC).
• And 18% had OA in their 3rd PIP joint. That’s the joint in the middle…of your middle finger.
• And overall, women tend to have more hand joints affected than do men.
The more we know about how has this disease, the better we can plan to help!
To assess the specific impact of any given condition and to project medical care needs for affected persons. They also provide a backdrop of information as future trends in the disease are noted.
PURPOSE: To quantify the prevalence of radiographic hand osteoarthritis (OA) among a group of community-dwelling individuals. Radiographic OA prevalence rates were examined by individual joints stratified by age, gender, and dominant hand.
METHODS: Data from a community-based, longitudinal study designed to follow the natural history of osteoarthritis were used. Participants were ambulatory men and women, ages 40 years and older, with and without radiographic hand OA (N = 3327). Bi-lateral hand OA was examined at three joints: 2nd DIP, 3rd PIP, and 1st CMC. The ordinal scale of Kellgren and Lawrence (0-4) was used to determine OA status (grades 2+).
RESULTS: Radiographic hand OA status was determined for all persons in the study group comprised of 69% women. Overall, the DIP joint demonstrated the highest OA prevalence, while the 3rd PIP joint showed the lowest prevalence. Joint-specific hand OA prevalence rates for 2nd DIP, 3rd PIP, and 1st CMC were 35%, 18%, and 21%, respectively. Expectedly, hand OA prevalence for all joints increased with age. With exceptions, women demonstrated higher hand OA prevalence rates for the three sites examined. However, among men ages 40-49, the 2nd DIP joint OA rate was slightly higher (13%) compared with the rate among women ages 40-49 (8%). Additionally, men in that age group demonstrated an elevated 1st CMC joint OA rate (9%) compared with the rate among women (5%).
CONCLUSION: Prevalence studies are helpful to assess the specific impact of any given condition and to project medical care needs for affected persons. They also provide a backdrop of information as future trends in the disease are noted. Additional epidemiological studies addressing hand OA will serve to bridge the gap between the current level of knowledge about the knee versus the hand. The disease burden of hand OA affects a large percentage of the population. Research efforts that more exhaustively characterize the prevalence of hand OA may contribute towards interventions that, ultimately, impact a growing segment of our population.
Radiographic Hand Osteoarthritis Prevalence Rates, by Joint*
By Gender and Age Group (Years)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2nd DIP 3rd DIP 1st CMC
Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women Total
All ages 35.1 35.1 35.1 18.1 17.6 18.3 20.3 19.8 20.6
40-49 9.6 12.8 8.4 2.6 2.0 2.8 6.4 8.7 5.6
50-59 21.7 22.2 21.6 7.5 8.3 7.3 14.5 13.9 14.8
60-69 42.5 38.5 44.3 22.0 17.1 24.2 23.7 22.4 24.3
70-79 54.1 49.4 56.8 31.6 30.3 32.4 31.1 26.2 33.7
80 + 71.3 65.5 75.0 53.3 46.6 57.6 39.3 34.5 42.4
Joints examined were the bi-lateral 2nd DIP, 3rd PIP, and the 1st CMC.
Since 1988, the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA) has been studying thousands of participants to learn more about osteoarthritis. The 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit research organization is based in Clearwater, FL, but its findings have been published worldwide. ARIA’s x-ray database is globally acknowledged as one of the most complete sources of information about the progression of osteoarthritis. For information, call (727) 461-4054.
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