Background/Purpose: Knee OA (KOA) associates with remarkable functional restrictions due to pain that seriously affect social and emotional well-being, reducing the quality of life (QoL). The identification of therapies and factors that influence QoL in KOA patients may mitigate the clinical, economic, and social burden of this disease. Thus, the assessment of QoL in KOA, and individual factors associated has a great interest in research and clinical practice. Still, a general recompilation of these data is missing. Our aim was to recapitulate the existing information on QoL in KOA patients as an international tool to raise awareness on their condition and guide future actions for patient’s management.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review examining the breadth of the literature regarding the QoL in patients with KOA (up to 2017). We identify articles in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, and PsycINFO using relevant. All articles were reviewed for inclusion by 3 independent reviewers. QoL domains and items relevant to patients with knee OA were extracted. Inclusion criteria were QoL compared to one or more demographic factors (age, gender), lifestyle factor (functional independence), or comorbidity factor diabetes, obesity) or a control group. The quality of included studies was assessed using a quality appraisal tool.

Results: We retrieved 610 articles, 62 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The instrument used to assess QoL were SF-36 and EQ-5D. The participants’ mean in the studies was 561, the majority were female, the mean age was 63 years. KOA patients report a worse QoL compared to a control group, having women a worse QoL than men. Obesity, little or too much physical activity correlate with worse QoL. Higher educational level and mindfulness can improve QoL while poverty, physiological distress, depression and having dysfunctional families can reduce it. The delivery of a knee self-management program by health professionals can improve QoL. Surgical interventions result in good outcomes but the results were influenced by individual factors.

Conclusion: This is the first review pertaining to QoL in KOA patients. KOA has a strong impact on QoL. Individual factors (sex, weight, exercise, mental health, education) can influence QoL. These factors affect treatment outcomes and should be considered for a better patient’s management. These data are a valuable tool for health professionals, to better understand the disease and to implement a more adequate standard of care. This study was coordinated by representatives of patient organizations aiming to shed light on OA patient’s condition and the need for a broader evaluation of the individual and human factors affecting their QoL.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/global-management-of-patients-with-knee-osteoarthritis-begins-with-quality-of-life-assessment-a-systematic-review/