Objective: The current study aimed to assess the effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) on knee pain severity and distribution among patients with osteoarthritis (OA).
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted targeting all patients with established diagnoses of OA at Alnoor Specialist Hospital in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, from November 16, 2022, to March 18, 2023. Data were collected using an Arabic-language questionnaire administered through phone calls with the patients after being informed verbally. A validated intermittent and constant osteoarthritis pain questionnaire and an International physical activity questionnaire were used for assessing pain and physical activity. Patients who had undergone knee joint replacement surgery and those who had traumatic deformities were excluded.
Results: A total of 169 knee OA patients were included in this study. The data illustrated a diverse sample of patients with an average age of 57.1 years (±10.7) and a higher representation of females (69.2%). Rheumatoid arthritis was observed in 4.1% of patients, while hand arthritis, spinal arthritis, feet arthritis, and back pain were each present in 2.4%, 1.2%, 1.2%, and 1.2% of patients, respectively. The total pain scores, with mean ± SD values of 43.6 ± 20.7 for the DM and OA group and 43.1 ± 23.6 for the non-diabetic OA group, did not significantly differ with a p-value of 0.887.
Conclusion: The prevalence of OA-associated pain was high with higher severity of pain score and limited activity among diabetic patients than non-diabetics.
Key words: Osteoarthritis, pain, diabetes, association, physical activity, Saudi Arabia
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