A comparison of health-related quality of life among knee osteoarthritis patients in two cities in Pakistan | Taj | Clinical Surgery Research Communications

A comparison of health-related quality of life among knee osteoarthritis patients in two cities in Pakistan

Saeed Taj, Hafiza Tayaba

Abstract


Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major cause of disability that impacts health and activities of daily living, mostly affecting the hip and knee joints. Patients commonly present with symptoms of stiffness and pain in the affected joints. As an age-related chronic disease of the joint cartilage, degenerative osteoarthritis is very common among elderly people worldwide.

Objective: To compare health-related quality of life among patients with knee osteoarthritis in two cities in Pakistan: Lahore and Sialkot.

Method: In a cross-sectional comparative study, data were collected from patients (N = 158; 105 female; 53 male) aged 40 years or older, based on inclusion criteria adopted from government and private hospitals and clinics in Lahore and Sialkot and using the SF12 questionnaire and convenience sampling. The sample was evenly divided between the two cities.

Results: Earlier studies have shown that lifestyle in major urban centers is more sedentary than in smaller cities. However, independent sample t-testing (p = 0.57) revealed no significant difference in health-related quality of life between knee osteoarthritis patients in Lahore (a major urban center) and Sialkot (which is less urbanized).

Conclusion: Health-related quality of life in knee OA patients in Lahore and Sialkot was effectively the same in terms of disability level and awareness.

Keywords: osteoarthritis, activities of daily living, health-related quality of life




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