Comprehensive assessment of patients with symptomatic hand osteoarthritis: Cross-sectional insights into links with other joints

Objectives Symptomatic hand osteoarthritis (HOA) significantly affects daily activities and quality of life, but its associations with osteoarthritis (OA) in other joints and systemic factors remain unclear. This study aimed to comprehensively assess patients with symptomatic HOA by examining their laboratory findings and radiographic features across multiple joints. Methods This cross-sectional study enrolled 53 patients with symptomatic HOA who initially presented to the outpatient clinic with hand pain and were subsequently diagnosed. Radiographic assessments of the hands, knees, hips, and spine were performed using the grading system of Kellgren-Lawrence (KL). The sum of the KL scores for all joints in both hands was calculated as the hand KL score. Results In total, 79.2% of patients had coexistent knee OA. Elevated triglyceride levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rates were observed in >50% of the cohort. Hand KL scores displayed weak positive correlations with C-reactive protein levels (r = 0.34) and knee KL scores (r = 0.35). Conclusions This study highlights the frequent coexistence of knee OA in patients with symptomatic HOA and suggests potential links between HOA, systemic inflammation, and lipid metabolism. These findings provide insights into the multifactorial nature of HOA and underscore the importance of comprehensive evaluation in clinical practice.