title: Osteoarthritis medical labelling and health-related quality of life in the general population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Osteoarthritis is the most common chronic joint disease. In the absence of an effective medical treatment and due to the chronic nature of this condition, an osteoarthritis medical diagnosis may finally result in decreased health-related quality of life. Therefore, the aim of this study was to measure the impact of the osteoarthritis medical labelling on physical and mental health-related quality of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects (n = 1132, 58.7% women) were approached as participants of an urban population-based cohort (EPIPorto). Self-reported information on previous diagnosis of knee, hip or hand osteoarthritis was obtained and rheumatologists established knee, hip or hand osteoarthritis clinical diagnosis in symptomatic individuals. Physical and mental dimensions of health-related quality of life were evaluated using the self-administered Medical Outcomes Study: 36-Item Short Form Survey. Crude and adjusted linear regression coefficients (beta) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were computed to estimate the associations between being labelled as an osteoarthritis case and health-related quality of life.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regardless of disease medical labelling, individuals with osteoarthritis scored significantly lower physical health-related quality of life when compared to those without joint disease (kneeunexposed: beta = -5.3, 95% CI: -7.6, -3.1; kneeexposed: beta = -6.0, 95% CI: -8.4, -3.7; hipunexposed: beta = -6.0, 95% CI: -9.8, -2.3; hipexposed: beta = -11.0, 95% CI: -15.6, -6.4; handunexposed: beta = -4.3, 95% CI: -6.5, -2.0; handexposed: beta = -4.3, 95% CI: -6.6, -2.1). The same was not observed regarding mental health-related quality of life. Among subjects with clinically confirmed osteoarthritis, the medical labelling of this joint disease was not significantly associated to health-related quality of life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The labelling of knee, hip and hand osteoarthritis diagnosis may not add specific benefit to osteoarthritis patients in terms of its capability to improve health-related quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health of the University of Porto, Rua das Taipas, 135-139, 4050-600, Porto, Portugal. slourenco@med.up.pt.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lourenço
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health of the University of Porto, Rua das Taipas, 135-139, 4050-600, Porto, Portugal. rlucas@med.up.pt.|Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Predictive Medicine and Public Health of the University of Porto Medical School, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal. rlucas@med.up.pt.
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health of the University of Porto, Rua das Taipas, 135-139, 4050-600, Porto, Portugal. fabio.araujo@ispup.up.pt.
authors.forename: Fábio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.affiliation: Ponte de Lima Hospital, Largo Conde de Bertiandos, 4990-041, Ponte de Lima, Portugal. bogas.monica@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bogas
authors.affiliation: Beatriz Ângelo Hospital, Avenida Carlos Teixeira, 3, 2674-514, Loures, Portugal. rui.santos@hbeatrizangelo.pt.
authors.forename: Rui André
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health of the University of Porto, Rua das Taipas, 135-139, 4050-600, Porto, Portugal. hbarros@med.up.pt.|Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Predictive Medicine and Public Health of the University of Porto Medical School, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal. hbarros@med.up.pt.
authors.forename: Henrique
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Barros
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D057566:Self Report; D013240:Stereotyping