Comparison of health-related quality of life between patients with end-stage ankle and hip arthrosis.
BACKGROUND
End-stage ankle arthrosis is one of the leading causes of chronic disability in North America. Information on this condition is limited. The amount of pain and the reduction in health-related quality of life and function have not been quantified with use of universal outcome measures. The purpose of the present study was to compare the extent of pain, loss of function, and health-related quality of life in two cohorts of patients waiting for the surgical treatment of end-stage ankle or hip arthrosis.


METHODS
One hundred and thirty patients with end-stage ankle arthrosis who were awaiting total ankle arthroplasty or ankle arthrodesis were recruited through a Canadian Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society multicenter study. All patients prospectively completed the Short Form-36 (SF-36) generic outcome instrument. This cohort was compared with a similar cohort of 130 patients with end-stage hip arthrosis, randomly selected from an existing prospective joint replacement database, who had completed an SF-36 questionnaire prospectively from 2000 to 2005.


RESULTS
In both groups, the scores for all SF-36 subscales were approximately two standard deviations below normal population scores. Patients with ankle arthrosis had significantly worse mental component summary scores (p < 0.05), role-physical scores (p < 0.05), and general health scores (p < 0.05). Patients with hip arthrosis reported significantly lower physical function scores (p < 0.05), although the SF-36 physical component summary score was not significantly different between the two groups. The SF-36 physical component summary, bodily pain, vitality, role-emotional, social functioning, and mental health subscale scores were equally affected in both cohorts.


CONCLUSIONS
The mental and physical disability associated with end-stage ankle arthrosis is at least as severe as that associated with end-stage hip arthrosis.
Glazebrook
Mark
M
Division of Orthopaedics, Room 4867 Halifax Infirmary, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, 1796 Summer Street, Halifax, NS B3H 3A7, Canada. markglazebr@ns.sympatico.ca
Daniels
Tim
T
Younger
Alastair
A
Foote
C J
CJ
Penner
Murray
M
Wing
Kevin
K
Lau
Johnny
J
Leighton
Ross
R
Dunbar
Michael
M
D000368:Aged; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000601:surgery; D001174:Arthrodesis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000601:surgery; D015207:Osteoarthritis, Hip; D011788:Quality of Life; D012016:Reference Values