Knee osteoarthritis and its association with mental health and health-related quality of life: A nationwide cross-sectional study

Aim: To investigate the relationship between knee osteoarthritis, mental health and health-related quality of life (QoL). Methods: This study included 6343 men and women aged ≥50 years from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Osteoarthritis was defined as Kellgren–Lawrence grade ≥2 in the knee on radiographic images with knee pain. Mental health and health-related QoL were assessed according to three dimensions (depressive mood, psychological distress and suicidal ideation) and five domains (impaired mobility, impaired self-care, impaired usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression). The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for mental health and health-related QoL were calculated using multiple logistic regression analyses. Results: Compared with the control group, the odds ratios for depressive mood, psychological distress and suicidal ideation in the osteoarthritis group were 2.80 (95% CI 1.31–3.31), 1.92 (95% CI 1.21–3.05) and 1.97 (95% CI 1.31–2.94) in men, and 1.51 (95% CI 1.16–1.95), 1.36 (95% CI 1.07–1.72) and 1.92 (95% CI 1.49–2.46) in women after adjusting for potential confounding variables. Similarly, the odds ratios for impaired mobility, impaired self-care, impaired usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression in the osteoarthritis group were 12.37 (95% CI 8.17–18.72), 3.02 (95% CI 1.84–4.94), 7.33 (95% CI 4.89–10.98), 8.92 (95% CI 5.92–13.45) and 2.56 (95% CI 1.52–4.29) in men, and 8.29 (95% CI 6.41–10.73), 2.53 (95% CI 1.74–3.69), 4.40 (95% CI 3.33–5.80), 4.79 (95% CI 3.72–6.17) and 1.85 (1.44–2.37) in women after adjusting for the same covariables. Conclusions: Knee osteoarthritis was significantly associated with deteriorated mental health and health-related QoL in middle-aged and older men and women. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 379–383.