Turkish Journal of Geriatrics 2011 , Vol 14, Issue 1
DETERMINANTS OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN WOMEN WITH SYMPTOMATIC KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS: THE ROLE OF FUNCTIONAL AND EMOTIONAL STATUS
Nurdan PAKER, Derya BUÄžDAYCI, Didem DERE
1İstanbul Fizik Tedavi Rehabilitasyon Eğitim Araştırma Hastanesi Fizik Tedavi ve Rehabilitasyon, İSTANBUL Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disease that causes impairment in quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors which determine the quality of life in women with symptomatic knee OA.

Materials and Method: Seventy-five women with symptomatic knee OA were included in the study. Short form 36 (SF-36) was used for the assessment of quality of life. Patients were evaluated with the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) OA index, Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

Results: Mean age was 66.1 (SD=10.5) and duration of disease was 8.9 (SD=7.1) years. Statistically significant correlations existed between SF-36 and age, TUG, radiological severity, WOMAC and HADS (p<0.05). In multiple linear regression analysis, WOMAC function (p<0.001 b1= -0.752) and HADS depression (p<0.001 b1= -1.499 R2=0.590) scores were statistically significant in the prediction of quality of life.

Conclusion: In this study, functional status and depressive mood were found to be two of the main factors determining the quality of life in women with symptomatic knee OA. Multidisciplinary approaches comprising psychological treatment strategies along with treatments targeting pain, stiffness, and functional status of the patients could be beneficial to improve the quality of life in knee OA. Keywords : Pain; Depression; Osteoarthritis; Knee; Quality of Life