Table 2.
Characteristics of patients with knee OA seen by general practitioners (GPs) and rheumatologists (RHs)
| All patients n = 1,821 |
GPs n = 1,570 |
RHs n = 251 |
P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 67.3 ± 9.7 | 67.0 ± 9.7 | 69.8 ± 9.7 | < 0.0001 |
| Sex, % female | 56.2 | 55.2 | 62.2 | < 0.05 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 28.9 ± 4.7 | 29.1 ± 4.6 | 28.0 ± 4.9 | < 0.01 |
| Duration of disease, years | 7.7 ± 5.7 | 7.8 ± 5.6 | 6.8 ± 5.4 | < 0.01 |
| Pain (VAS, 0-100 mm) | ||||
| On movement over the last 24 hr | 61.6 ± 17.9 | 62.4 ± 17.6 | 57.3 ± 19.0 | < 0.0001 |
| At rest | 32.7 ± 20.0 | 33.9 ± 20.5 | 25.3 ± 20.6 | < 0.0001 |
| Global pain | 49.3 ± 16.4 | 49.8 ± 16.3 | 46.2 ± 17.1 | < 0.01 |
| Pain at night, % | 47.1 | 49.9 | 29.7 | < 0.0001 |
| Daily disability, % | 89.7 | 90.6 | 84.3 | < 0.01 |
| Presence of SF effusion, % | 30.0 | 29.2 | 35.8 | < 0.05 |
Values are mean ± SD or percentage. BMI = body mass index; VAS = visual analog scale; SF = synovial fluid.