Influence of pain intensity and difficulty on health-related quality of life of patients with knee osteoarthritis

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common causes of pain and disability in the western world and it affects up to 80% of people over the age of 65. Aim: The objective of this study was to examine the influence of self-reported symptoms of knee OA (KOA) on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with KOA. Materials and Methods: Seventy patients diagnosed with KOA were purposively recruited for the study. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities OA Index was used to assess the pain intensity, functional difficulty and stiffness, whereas HRQoL form Short-Form 12 Health Survey was used to assess the quality of life of patients with KOA. The data collected were analysed using SPSS version 17. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to summarise the data. Results: There was a statistically significant negative relationship between age and physical difficulty (r = −0.301 P < 0.001). There was a statistically significant negative correlation between health quality domain (Hex) and present pain intensity (r = −0.473 P < 0.01). There was a statistically significant negative relationship between Hex and total difficulty (r = −0.321 P < 0.05). Conclusion: It was concluded from the study that in patients with KOA, the higher the pain intensity and/or physical difficulty, the lower the patient's HRQoL.