Assessment of obesity and central obesity among patients with knee osteoarthritis in Al-Sadder Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq

Background: Obese individuals are at increased risk for many chronic and life-threating conditions. The most significant burden on the musculoskeletal system resulted from osteoarthritis, mainly knee osteoarthritis. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of obesity and central obesity among a group of patients with knee osteoarthritis, analyze the effect of demographic variables, and examine the relationship between these two types of obesity. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Al-Sadder hospital in Baghdad from June through September 2017. A convenience sample of 200 patients with knee osteoarthritis was collected. Those with body mass index (BMI) equal to or more than (30 kg/m2) considered obese. The cutoff point for central obesity was the waist-hip ratio (WHR) above (0.9) for men and above (0.85) for women. The risk ratio and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) calculated to determine the strength of the relationship. P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.  Results: The number of obese patients, according to BMI, was 163 (81.5%). For central obesity, the men and women with unhealthy WHR were 53 (96.4%) and 131 (10.3%), respectively. No significant difference in the rate of obesity among age groups (p= 0.986). Central obesity is significantly lower in those less than 45 years (p=0.023). In men, the risk of obese to have central obesity is (1.06) with no significant association (95% CI = 0.89 - 1.27, P = 0.481). In women, risk ratio = 1.56 and association is significant (95% CI = 1.03 - 1.36, P = 0.037). Conclusion: The increasing age was associated with a rise in the rate of central obesity, but not with obesity. The overlap between the two types of obesity was evident and significant only in women.