Clinical and Radiographic Symptoms Are Strongly Associated in Males with Knee Osteoarthritis, But not in Females

The degree of patient’s suffering in association with radiological evidence of osteoarthritis (OA) determines the time point of surgery. Thus, a more clear understanding of the association between clinical and radiological symptoms of OA is necessary.
Here we aim to evaluate how clinical and radiographic symptoms of patients are associated with each other in an Iranian Knee OA population.
In a cross - sectional study, patients with knee OA were recruited. The diagnosis of OA was made using the criteria of American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Classification. Western Ontario & McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) was used as an indicator of self-reported disability. The Kellgren - Lawrence index was used for OA grading.
A total of 96 OA patients, including 77 females and 19 males, with a mean age of 53.27 ± 10 years, were included. The OA was graded as I, II, III, and IV in 28, 35, 19, and 14 patients, respectively. The mean WOMAC score was 55.2 ± 20.5, ranging from 6.3 to 100. The WOMAC score was not significantly correlated with the grade of OA (p = 0.1, r = - 0.188). When we stratified the patients based on their gender, a strong correlation was observed between WOMAC scores and OA grade in male patients (p Self - reported disability is associated with radiographic symptoms in male patients with knee OA, but not in females. Hence, the orthopedic surgeons should consider this discrepancy in their decision - making process to decide appropriately about the choice of therapy.