Osteoarthritis is one of the most common rheumatic diseases and is the leading cause of pain and disability in most countries worldwide.  The present study aimed to measure the proportion of knee osteoarthritis and its risk factors among patients visiting orthopaedics department and also to compare European League Against Rheumatism 2009 (EULAR) criteria with modified American college of Rheumatology(ACR) criteria used for clinical diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis.A facility based cross sectional study was conducted among the patients from Out-Patient Department and In-Patient Department of Orthopaedics department in a tertiary care hospital from 1^st march to 31^st march 2015. A total of 245 subjects were selected by systematic random sampling. The study was conducted by administering a pretested structured questionnaire with demographic details and associated risk factors. The mean of the participants was 45.36+13.59 years. The proportion of osteoarthritis was found to be 19.6% and 8.2% according to modified ACR and EULAR 2009 respectively. In this study, sstatistically significant association with modified ACR was found with age, sex, education, socio economic status, occupation, BMI, previous knee injuries, physical activity. Statistically significant association using EULAR 2009 was found with age, sex, education, occupation, previous knee injuries, physical activity, chronic diseases. This study is also highlighted the Incidence of knee OA is rising by increasing average age and decreasing socio economic status. Old age, female sex, poor education, overweight, trauma to joint due to repetiting movements in particular occupation or knee injuries and chronic diseases like diabetes & hypertension are common risk factors of knee OA. Clinicians can use the identified modifiable risk factors like overweight, previous knee injury and chronic diseases to identify patients at risk of developing or increasing knee pain and manage them accordingly. And clinicians can use modified ACR as screening test and EULAR 2009 as a diagnostic test.

Keywords: Osteoarthritis, Modified ACR, EULAR-2009, Rheumatic disease, Signs and Symptoms.

1. Fransen M, Bridgett l, March L, Hoy D, Penserga E, Brooks P. The epidemiology of osteoarthritis in Asia.IJRD2001;14:113-121.
2. John Ebnezar-Osteoarthritis in: text book of orthopedics.4^th Jaypee brothers medical publishers(P) ltd.2010.
3. Litwic A, Edwards M, Dennison E, cooper C. epidemiology and burden of osteoarthritis.Br Med Bull.2013;105:185-199.
4. Gelber AC, Hochberg MC, Mead A, Wang NY, Wigley M, Klag MJ. Ann intern med.2000;133(5);321-328.
5. Ajit N E, Nandish B, Fernandes R J, Roga G, Kasthuri A, Shanbhag DN, Goud BR. Prevalence of knee osteoarthritis in rural areas of Bangalore urban district. IJRCI 2014;1(S1):SO3.
6. Helen M L, March M M, Tribe K L, Cross M J, Brooks P M. Living with osteoarthritis: Patient Expenditures, Health status, and social impact. Arthritis care& research 45:301-306, 2001.
7. Bijlsma J W J, Knahr K. Strategies for the prevention and management of osteoarthritis of the hip and knee. ELSEVIER best practice & research clinical rheumatology,2007.21(1)59-76.
8. Dudala SR, Reddy KAK, Prabhu GR. Prasad’s socio-economic status classification-an upadate for 2014.Int J Res Health Sci(internet)2014 Jul31;2(3):875-8.
9. WHO BMI classification available from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/ assessed on 17 july 2015.
10. Chopra A, Patil J, Billempelly V, Relwani J, Tandle HS. Prevalence of rheumatic diseases in a rural population in western india: A WHO-ILAR COPCORD study. J assoc physicians india.2001 Feb; 49:240-6.
11. Joshi Vl, Chopra A. Is there an urban-rural divide? Population surveys of rheumatic musculoskeletal disorders in the pune region of India using the COPCORD Bhigwan model. J Rheumatol.2009 mar; 36(3):614-22.
12. Zang W. Doherty M, Bierma-Zeinstra MA, Adren NK, Bresnihan B, et al. EULAR evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis. Ann Rheum Dis.2010 Mar;69(3);483-9.
13. Altman R, Asch E, Bloch D, Bole G, Borenstein D, Brandt K, et al. Development of criteria for the classification and reporting of osteoarthritis. Classification of osteoarthritis of the knee. Diagnostic and Therapeutic criteria committee of the American Rheumatism Association. Arthritis Rheum. 1986 aug; 29(8):1039-49.
14. Li YP, Wei XC, Zhou JM, Wei L. The age related changes in cartilage and osteoarthritis. Bio Med Research International.vol 2013. Article ID916530.
15. Srikanth VK, Fryer JL, Zhai G, Winzenberg TM, Hosmer D, Jones G. A meta analysis of sex difference prevalence, incidence and severity of osteoarthritis.2005..Vol13.issue 9.769-781.
16. Muthuri SG, Williams DFM, Doherty M, Zhang W. History of knee injuries and knee osteoarthritis :a meta analysis of observational studies.nov 2011.vol 19, issue11, 1286-93.
17. Spector TD. The fat on the joint: osteoarthritis and obesity. J Rheumatol 1990; 17:283-4.
18. Rossignol M, Leclerc A, Allaert FA, Rozenberg S, Valat JP, Arouac B, Coste P, Litvak E, Hiliquin P. Primary osteoarthritis of hip, knee and hand in relation to occupational exposure. Occup Environ Med 2005; 62:772-777.

Prem Davis

Medical Officer, Health Centre, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur, India

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.