Abstract
BackgroundOsteoarthritis (OA) prevalence differs by race. General joint hypermobility (GJH) may be associated with OA, but differences by race are not known. This community-based study examined the frequency of GJH and its relationship with knee, hip, and lumbar spine OA by race (African American vs. Caucasian).MethodsData were from the Johnston County OA project, collected 2003–2010. GJH was defined as Beighton score ≥4. OA symptoms were defined as the presence of pain, aching, or stiffness on most days separately at the knee, hip, and lower back. Radiographic OA (rOA) of the knee or hip was defined as Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2–4. Lumbar spine rOA was disc space narrowing grade ≥1 and osteophyte grade ≥2 in ≥ 1 at the same lumbar level. Lumbar spine facet rOA was present in ≥ 1 lumbar levels. Separate logistic regression models stratified by race were used to examine the association between hypermobility and rOA or OA symptoms at each joint site, adjusting for age, sex, previous joint injury, and body mass index (BMI).ResultsOf 1987 participants, 1/3 were African-American and 2/3 were women (mean age 65 years, mean BMI 31 kg/m2). Nearly 8% of Caucasians were hypermobile vs. 5% of African-Americans (p = 0.03). Hypermobility was associated with lower back symptoms in Caucasians (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00, 2.39), but not in African-Americans (aOR 0.77, 95% CI 0.34, 1.72). Associations between hypermobility and other knee, hip, or lumbar spine/facet OA variables were not statistically significant.ConclusionsGeneral joint hypermobility was more common in Caucasians than African-Americans. Although there were no associations between hypermobility and rOA, the association between hypermobility and lower back symptoms may differ by race.
Highlights
African-Americans have a higher prevalence of disc space narrowing, vertebral osteophytes, and facet joint OA compared to Caucasians [5]
Association between General joint hypermobility (GJH) and symptoms or Radiographic OA (rOA) by race As shown in Table 3, there was a positive association between GJH and OA symptoms at the lumbar spine among Caucasians (adjusted odds ratio 1.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00, 2.39), but a non-significant inverse relationship among African-Americans
Results of this study suggest that the frequency of GJH may be lower in African-Americans than Caucasians and that the link between hypermobility and lower back symptoms may vary by race
Summary
General joint hypermobility (GJH) may be associated with OA, but differences by race are not known This community-based study examined the frequency of GJH and its relationship with knee, hip, and lumbar spine OA by race (African American vs Caucasian). Differences between Caucasians and African-Americans in the occurrence of hypermobility, when including lower body joints, have not been examined in a large, community-based older adult population. It is not known whether the relationship between GJH and OA varies by race
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