Incidence of Knee Osteoarthritis and Its Risk Factors in Patients with Knee Pain Referring to Imam Khomeini Hospital, Ardabil, 2019 - 2021

Designing knee osteoarthritis (KOA) prevention programs requires recognizing modifiable risk factors. This study aimed to determine the frequency of osteoarthritis in patients with knee pain referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ardabil city.

In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 850 patients with knee pain who were referred to the clinic of rheumatology in Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ardabil city were studied. Demographic and personal characteristics and medical history of OA were collected from the participants by a checklist. Osteoarthritis was diagnosed based on clinical and radiographic evidence by a rheumatologist.

Of all patients, 310 (36.5%) were diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis. The most of patients (33.5%) were in the age group of 50-59 years old, women (80.6%) and housewives (29%). 39.9% of all patiens had obesity and most of them (43.2%) have not exercised at any time. A family history of knee osteoarthritis was reported in 45.2% of patients, while a family history of joint replacement was reported in 6.1%. 15.8% of patients reported a history of previous knee trauma. The type of used toilet was traditional in 90.3%.

The frequency of knee OA in our study similar to other studies was at a moderate level and due to regional risk factors, it is suggested to reduce the incidence of KOA by presenting necessary training programs and changing the nutritional patterns of society people.