Symptomatic Hand Osteoarthritis in the United States

Abstract

To estimate the United States prevalence of symptomatic hand osteoarthritis using American College of Rheumatology (ACR) physical examination criteria. The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), a nationally representative cross-sectional health examination survey, performed upper-extremity physical examinations on a sample of United States adults age 60+ yrs. Data for demographics, pain history, analgesic use, and activity limitations were obtained by interview. Among United States adults, 58% had Heberden's nodes, 29.9% had Bouchard's nodes, and 18.2% had first carpal-metacarpal deformities. Women had significantly more first carpal-metacarpal deformities (24.3%) than men (10.3%). Symptomatic osteoarthritis prevalence at these sites was 5.4, 4.7, and 1.9%, respectively. Overall, symptomatic hand osteoarthritis prevalence by ACR criteria was 8% (95% CI 6.5-9.5%), or 2.9 million persons. Symptomatic hand osteoarthritis significantly increased with age and was decreased among non-Hispanic blacks, but there were no gender differences. Symptomatic hand osteoarthritis was associated with self-reported difficulty lifting 10 lbs (OR 2.31; 95% CI 1.23-4.33), dressing (OR 3.77; 95% CI 1.99-7.13), and eating (OR 3.44; 95% CI 1.76-6.73). Frequent monthly use was significantly increased for analgesics, especially acetaminophen, but not nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. Symptomatic hand osteoarthritis affects 1 in 12 older United States adults. NHANES III data provide a population-based assessment of the impact and associated functional impairments of symptomatic hand osteoarthritis.