The Relationship between Knee Osteoarthritis and Ischemic Heart Disease among Patients Attending National Hospital of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Osteoarthritis is a worldwide highly prevalent type of arthritis and the knee is the most commonly affected joint. Moreover, ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a major contributor to disability among other cardiovascular diseases. A growing amount of research indicates that osteoarthritis may be regarded as a cardiovascular risk factor. This study aimed to assess the relationship between knee osteoarthritis and IHD among patients attending the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL). A case-control study was conducted with 80 patients, aged between 50-75 years in NHSL. Among them, 40 patients who had been diagnosed with previous IHD from Cardiology and Medical clinics were selected as the case group and 40 patients who had not been diagnosed with a previous IHD from Medical clinics were selected as the control group. Diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis and IHD in both case and control groups was established by a valid diagnosis made by a medical professional. An interviewer- administered questionnaire was used to collect the relevant data. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test. Most of the study population was female (55%) in both cases and controls. The history of knee osteoarthritis in patients with IHD and their controls differ significantly: the percentage of those that had knee osteoarthritis was higher in cases (37.5%) than in controls (15.0%). (OR=3.4; 95% CI 1.156-9.996. p=0.022). There was a statistically significant relationship between knee osteoarthritis and IHD among patients attending NHSL. That means patients with knee osteoarthritis were at a significantly higher risk of getting an IHD.