Quality of Life Among Kurdish Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis in Duhok Governorate.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disease and a leading cause for pain, stiffness, functional dependence, and diminished quality of life (QoL). The assessment of the latter in OA is becoming increasingly common in both research and clinical settings.

Objectives: The study aimed to examine OA among Kurdish patients with unilateral or bilateral OA.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Duhok Centre of Rheumatology and Medical Rehabilitation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, involving 262 patients aged 40-70 who have unilateral or bilateral OA.

Results: The study subjects had the lowest mean QoL score in the domain of role limitations due to physical health problems (14.22±34.124). The highest mean QoL score was in the social functioning domain (86.78±20.878). Females had a statistically significant lower QoL mean score across most domains, except for emotional role functioning. Older patients (over 50) had lower scores in several domains, such as physical function, physical role functioning, energy/fatigue, social functioning, and bodily pain. Longer disease duration is correlated with lower QoL scores in most domains, except emotional well-being. Obesity negatively impacted QoL in terms of physical function and pain dimensions. Finally, the severity of osteoarthritis is positively correlated with a lower QoL score in the domains of physical functioning, physical role functioning, energy/fatigue, social functioning, and the pain component.

Conclusion: QoL is diminished in Kurdish patients with unilateral or bilateral knee OA and is influenced by age, gender, obesity, disease duration, and OA severity.