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Impact and therapy of osteoarthritis: the Arthritis Care OA Nation 2012 survey

Clinical Rheumatology volume 34, pages 1581–1588 (2015)Cite this article

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the fastest growing cause of disability worldwide. The aim of this study was to understand the impact of OA on individuals and to explore current treatment strategies. An online UK-wide survey of people with self-reported OA was conducted, composed of 52 questions exploring the impact of OA, diagnosis and treatment, the role of health professionals and self-management. Four thousand forty-three people were invited with 2,001 respondents (49 % response, 56 % women; mean age 65 years). Fifty-two percent reported that OA had a large impact on their lives. Fifteen percent of respondents had taken early retirement on average 7.8 years earlier than planned. In consultations with general practitioners, only half reported a discussion on pain; fewer reported discussing their fears (21 %) or management goals (15 %). Nearly half (48 %) reported not seeking medical help until pain was frequently unbearable. Oral analgesics (62 %), topical therapies (47 %), physiotherapy (38 %) and steroid injections (28 %) were commonly used. The majority (71 %) reported varying degrees of persistent pain despite taking all prescribed medication. Although 64 % knew that increasing exercise was important, only 36 % acted on this knowledge; 87 % who increased exercise found it beneficial. Over half had future concerns related to mobility (60 %), maintaining independence (52 %) and coping with everyday activities (51 %). OA had significant individual economic impact especially on employment. Current treatment strategies still leave most people in pain with significant fears for the future. There is considerable opportunity to improve the holistic nature of OA consultations especially in provision of information and promotion of self-management strategies.

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Acknowledgments

The following companies have provided a sponsorship grant towards this independent programme to support OA Nation 2012: AstraZeneca, Napp Pharmaceuticals Limited, Pfizer Limited and Sanofi. These companies have also provided limited support and advice to Arthritis Care in relation to the collation of data for the project. However, editorial control of materials and decisions regarding OA Nation 2012 remain with Arthritis Care.

Disclosures

None.

Ethical approval

The study was conducted in line with the Market Research Society’s code of conduct. REC review was not required as participants were self-reporting and not identified through the NHS.

Funding

PGC and SRK are funded in part by Arthritis Research UK and the NIHR Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, Chapel Allerton Hospital, University of Leeds, Chapeltown Rd., Leeds, LS7 4SA, UK

    Philip G. Conaghan & Sarah R. Kingsbury

  2. NIHR Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    Philip G. Conaghan & Sarah R. Kingsbury

  3. Research Institute for Primary Care and Health Sciences, Keele University, Keele, UK

    Mark Porcheret

  4. YouGov, London, UK

    Anne Gammon

  5. NHS Lambeth, London, UK

    Ashok Soni

  6. Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education, St George’s University of London and Kingston University, London, UK

    Michael Hurley

  7. Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK

    Margaret P. Rayman

  8. Coventry University, Coventry, UK

    Julie Barlow

  9. Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, UK

    Richard G. Hull

  10. Arthritis Care, London, UK

    Jo Cumming, Kate Llewelyn, Federico Moscogiuri & Jane Lyons

  11. Musculoskeletal Research Group, Institute for Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK

    Fraser Birrell

Authors
  1. Philip G. Conaghan
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  2. Mark Porcheret
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  3. Sarah R. Kingsbury
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  5. Ashok Soni
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  6. Michael Hurley
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  7. Margaret P. Rayman
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  8. Julie Barlow
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  9. Richard G. Hull
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  10. Jo Cumming
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  11. Kate Llewelyn
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  12. Federico Moscogiuri
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  13. Jane Lyons
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  14. Fraser Birrell
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Correspondence to Philip G. Conaghan.

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Conaghan, P.G., Porcheret, M., Kingsbury, S.R. et al. Impact and therapy of osteoarthritis: the Arthritis Care OA Nation 2012 survey. Clin Rheumatol 34, 1581–1588 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-014-2692-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-014-2692-1

Keywords

  • Employment
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Primary healthcare
  • Therapy