抄録
A case study of osteoarthritis of the knee was performed to investigate the physical constitution of patients and other factors associated with severity of symptoms, using a self-administered questionnaire. Subjects were 474 patients forty years of age or over, newly diagnosed at three university hospitals during the period October 1991 to September 1992. Severity of symptoms was assessed by asking patients to gauge the extent of difficulty they had when using a Japanese-style toilet (squatting position), rising from a chair, ascending or descending stairs, walking without a cane or other support, etc.
Among the subjects, symptoms for the 360 female patients were more severe with increasing body weight and body mass index (BMI) at both the time of initial examination and at forty years of age. Blue collar workers showed more severe symptoms than did other types of workers. Severity was negatively associated with previous sports/ recreational habits. There was a positive association between symptoms and younger age of delivery of the first child. Among the 114 male patients, there was a negative association between drinking habits and onset of symptoms.
