Differences in health status of older adults with pain in the hip or knee only and with additional mobility restricting conditions.

Objective: To determine differences in health status of people aged 55 to 74 years with pain in the hip or knee only and with additional mobility restricting conditions.

Methods: A subsample from a community based study on pain, disability, comorbidity, and radiological osteoarthritis (OA) was used to identify a group with current pain in the hip or knee only (n = 62), a group with additional mobility restricting conditions (n = 124), and a reference group without pain and radiological OA (n = 72). Health status was measured with the IRGL instrument (Impact of Rheumatic diseases on General health and Lifestyle). Additional mobility restricting conditions were self-reported.

Results: The most reported additional conditions were more widespread joint pain and stiffness, and cardiovascular and respiratory problems. The group with pain in the hip or knee only had less mobility than the reference group (p < 0.05), but had higher mobility (p < 0.05), less pain (p < 0.001), less psychological distress (p < 0.01), and less effect of symptoms on daily life (p < 0.001) than the group with additional conditions. No differences were found in background variables or comorbidity. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the group with additional conditions differed from the group with knee or hip pain only with respect to joint pain (OR 1.18), cheerfulness (OR 0.9), and effect on daily life (OR 1.1).

Conclusion: The health status of people with pain in the hip or knee only is comparable to that of a reference group without pain. Health status is lower when pain in the hip or knee is present in combination with additional mobility restricting conditions. This last group is at greater risk of psychological distress and physical dysfunctioning.