Clinical profile of Filipino patients with osteoarthritis seen at two arthritis clinics

To describe a cohort of Filipinos with primary osteoarthritis (OA).

Charts with diagnosis of OA from two arthritis clinics (Philippine General Hospital and a private clinic) from January 2008 to May 2011, were reviewed for demographics, clinical presentation, risk factors and management. Descriptive statistics were applied.

Eight hundred and fifty-nine (859) patients had primary OA. Female-to-male ratio was 3 : 1. Mean age at diagnosis was 63 years, onset at 59 years. Men consulted 10 months later. Mean body mass index was 27.1 kg/m(2). Women were overweight, men, obese. Co-morbid conditions included hypertension (53%), dyslipidemia (16%) and diabetes (13%). Women (94.7%) developed symptoms 12 years after menopause. One-third of patients were of low socioeconomic status. Chief complaint was pain in 92.8%. Joint findings included crepitus (70.8%) and Heberden's nodes (13.0%) for knees and hands, respectively. Commonly involved joints were knees (62.5%), knees and hands (14.3%), and generalized joint involvement (13.5%). The hip was involved in 2.9% of cases. Radiographs showed Kellgren-Lawrence score of 2 in 56.6%. Less than 25% received physical therapy. Most prescribed drugs were glucosamine sulfate (45.5%), paracetamol (42.8%) and coxibs (40.6%). Less than 8% received intra-articular treatment, or were referred for surgery.

We described a large cohort of Filipino OA patients. Clinical characteristics show more women than men, with knees as the most common and hips as the least involved joints. Medical management was based on a local practice guideline. Compared to the literature, this cohort had more overweight than obese subjects and low surgical referral. A coordinated registry with orthopedics and physiatry departments is currently underway.