title: Idiopathic hand osteoarthritis vs haemochromatosis arthropathy--a clinical, functional and radiographic study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Haemochromatosis arthropathy is a secondary OA and the most frequent and earliest clinical presentation of hereditary haemochromatosis (HH). The aim of this study was to perform a direct clinical, functional and radiographic comparison with idiopathic hand OA (HOA) to unravel important differences between these clinical entities.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 299 patients (141 with HH arthropathy of the hands and 158 patients with idiopathic HOA) were recruited. Structured clinical assessment including hand function tests, as well as hand radiographs with scoring according to Kellgren-Lawrence, were carried out in all patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HH arthropathy and HOA differed significantly: patients with HH arthropathy were younger and predominantly male as compared with HOA. In males but not females, HH arthropathy led to an earlier start of symptoms than in HOA. Patients with HOA had more tender joints and worse hand function than patients with HH arthropathy, although subjective measures of joint pain and function were similar. MCP and wrist joint involvement was more frequent and severe in HH arthropathy, while HOA patients more frequently had degenerative changes in the first CMC as well as PIP and DIP joints.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HH arthropathy and idiopathic HOA differ significantly in terms of epidemiology, localization, severity of symptoms and radiographic changes.
authors: Department of Internal Medicine 3 and Institute for Clinical Immunology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Krankenhausstrasse 12, 91054 Erlangen, Germany.
authors: Tomás
authors: T
authors: Dallos
authors: Enijad
authors: E
authors: Sahinbegovic
authors: Tanja
authors: T
authors: Stamm
authors: Elmar
authors: E
authors: Aigner
authors: Roland
authors: R
authors: Axmann
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Stadlmayr
authors: Matthias
authors: M
authors: Englbrecht
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Datz
authors: Georg
authors: G
authors: Schett
authors: Jochen
authors: J
authors: Zwerina
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D050823:Hand Joints / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006432:Hemochromatosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011859:Radiography; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index