title: Osteophytes and joint space narrowing are independently associated with pain in finger joints in hand osteoarthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the associations between structural abnormalities on ultrasound (US) or conventional x-rays (CR) and pain in hand osteoarthritis (HOA).
  
  
  METHODS
  In 55 consecutive patients with HOA (mean age 61 years, 86% women) fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology criteria, pain in 30 separate hand joints was assessed upon palpation; osteophytes were assessed by US and CR and joint space narrowing (JSN) by CR. Associations between structural abnormalities and pain per joint were analysed using generalised estimated equations to account for patient effects and adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, US inflammatory features and other remaining structural abnormalities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 1649 joints, 69% and 46% had osteophytes on US and CR, respectively and 47% had JSN. Osteophytes and JSN showed independent associations with pain per joint adjusted: OR for osteophytes: 4.8 (95% CI 3.1 to 7.5) for US and 4.1 (95% CI 2.4 to 7.1) for CR; for JSN: 4.2 (95% CI 2.0 to 9.0).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Osteophytes and JSN are independently associated with pain in individual HOA joints, taking into account patient effects.
authors: Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. m.c.kortekaas@lumc.nl
authors: Marion C
authors: MC
authors: Kortekaas
authors: Wing-Yee
authors: WY
authors: Kwok
authors: Monique
authors: M
authors: Reijnierse
authors: Tom W J
authors: TW
authors: Huizinga
authors: Margreet
authors: M
authors: Kloppenburg
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005384:Finger Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D050823:Hand Joints / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D054850:Osteophyte / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods; D010173:Palpation; D011859:Radiography; D014463:Ultrasonography