Impact of osteoarthritis and analgesic treatment on quality of life of an elderly population.
To determine the quality of life of elderly patients with osteoarthritis (OA) compared with that of their peers with no chronic illnesses and to investigate the associations between analgesic use and quality of life.


METHODS
Patients >65 years of age with OA taking analgesics with (n = 33) and without (n = 26) comorbidities, and control patients with no chronic illness and not taking analgesics (n = 37).


METHODS
Quality of life was assessed by the SF-36 and level of pain was measured by a visual analog scale. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the medication characteristics and additional patient factors significantly associated with SF-36 scores.


RESULTS
OA patients had significantly (p < 0.05) lower scores than control patients in all quality-of-life domains. OA patient scores were lowest for the domains of role-physical, bodily pain, and physical functioning. OA patients with comorbidities also had poorer general and mental health. Pain- and analgesic-related factors were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with physical health status, reduced vitality, general health, and social functioning. A better quality of life was associated with noncompliance, fewer visits to the physician, and taking oral nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents. Presence of adverse drug reactions and sleep disturbance did not influence SF-36 scores significantly.


CONCLUSIONS
Quality of life of elderly OA patients with and without additional comorbidities was significantly poorer than that of their healthy peers, particularly in the domains associated with physical status, but also affecting vitality, social functioning, and general health. Level of pain suffered and perceived effectiveness of analgesic medication in pain control were important factors associated with quality of life.
Briggs
A
A
School of Pharmacy, The Queen's University of Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Scott
E
E
Steele
K
K
D000368:Aged; D000700:Analgesics / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000150:complications; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000700:Analgesics; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal