Knee osteoarthritis and its association with mental health and health-related quality of life: A nationwide cross-sectional study

Abstract

Aim To investigate the relationship between knee osteoarthritis, mental health and health-related quality of life (QoL). Methods This study included 6343 men and women aged >= 50 years from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Osteoarthritis was defined as Kellgren-Lawrence grade >= 2 in the knee on radiographic images with knee pain. Mental health and health-related QoL were assessed according to three dimensions (depressive mood, psychological distress and suicidal ideation) and five domains (impaired mobility, impaired self-care, impaired usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression). The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for mental health and health-related QoL were calculated using multiple logistic regression analyses. Results Compared with the control group, the odds ratios for depressive mood, psychological distress and suicidal ideation in the osteoarthritis group were 2.80 (95% CI 1.31-3.31), 1.92 (95% CI 1.21-3.05) and 1.97 (95% CI 1.31-2.94) in men, and 1.51 (95% CI 1.16-1.95), 1.36 (95% CI 1.07-1.72) and 1.92 (95% CI 1.49-2.46) in women after adjusting for potential confounding variables. Similarly, the odds ratios for impaired mobility, impaired self-care, impaired usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression in the osteoarthritis group were 12.37 (95% CI 8.17-18.72), 3.02 (95% CI 1.84-4.94), 7.33 (95% CI 4.89-10.98), 8.92 (95% CI 5.92-13.45) and 2.56 (95% CI 1.52-4.29) in men, and 8.29 (95% CI 6.41-10.73), 2.53 (95% CI 1.74-3.69), 4.40 (95% CI 3.33-5.80), 4.79 (95% CI 3.72-6.17) and 1.85 (1.44-2.37) in women after adjusting for the same covariables. Conclusions Knee osteoarthritis was significantly associated with deteriorated mental health and health-related QoL in middle-aged and older men and women. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 379-383.