AB1004 Quality of life (QOL) and lower limbs osteoarthritis (OA): A european rheumatologists study
Authors: R.-L. Dreiser, M. Guillaume
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2013)

<h3>Background</h3> The dimension of the improvement of QOL constitutes an important aspect of the efficiency of the treatments of OA. <h3>Objectives</h3> Describe the application of the questionnaires of QOL during hip and knee OA treatment in the daily practice of the European Rhumatologists. <h3>Methods</h3> Descriptive epidemiological survey by questionnaire submitted to 525 rheum practicing in 34 European countries. <h3>Results</h3> 89%of E.Rhum know the general QOL questionnaires (SF36) but only 67% the speficic tools recently validated (KOOS, HOOS, OAKHQOL) (4). The utility and the application of the evaluation of the QOL is important in clinical research for 96% of E. rhum, in the medicoeconomic studies for 89%, in daily practice for 93%. The fields of application of the questionnaires of QOL judged as important are physical handicap (66%), pain (64%), everyday life (63%), global well-being (58.85%), emotional life (53%), social life (53.40%), leisure activities (47%). An application during clinical studies was made by 57% of the E. rheum. In clinical practice, 31% used the questionnaires of quality of life to decide a surgical indication. Practitioners’ great majority (70%) consider that the demonstration of an improvement of QOL by a new treatment would bring them to modify their strategy in OA. In therapeutic efficiency equal, 97% privilege the treatment improving most the QOL. The improvement of QOL brought by SYSADOA was estimated by VAS (0 mm, absence of improvement; 100 mm, total improvement): average EVA was important (73 mm). A comparable procedure was led to estimate the improvement of QOL brought by the various SYSADOA: average EVA was 67 mm for glucosamin, 66 mm for chondroitin, 61 mm for avocado soybean unsponifiables, 60 mm for diacerein. Concerning the improvement of QOL brought by hyaluronicf acid, average VAS was 76 mm. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Only 1/3 of E. rhum used QOL questionnaires to make a therapeutic, in particular surgical, decision. Concerning SYSADO, QOL is the best improved by the glucosamin, followed by the chondroïtin, the IAS then by the diacerein. The best appreciation of the efficiency of the treatments of KOA on QOL is reported with hyaluronic acid. They consider useful a specific evaluation of the treatments of OA in the dimension of QOL besides that of their therapeutic efficiency. The majority of them (70%) would modify their habits of care if a new treatment demonstrated its benefits in terms of improvement of QOL. <h3>References</h3> Zhang W et collOARSI recommendations for the management of hip and knee osteoarthritis. Osteoarthr. Cart., 2008; 16 (2): 137-162 Zhang W et al. EULAR evidence based recommendations for the management of hip osteoarthritis. Ann. Rheum. Dis., 2005; 64: 669–681 Jordan KM et al. EULAR Recommendations 2003: an evidence based approach to the management of knee osteoarthritis. Ann. Rheum. Dis., 2003; 62:1145–1155 Rat AC et al. Mapping the osteoarthritis knee and hip quality of life (OAKHQOL) instrument to the international classification of functioning, disability and health and comparison to five status instruments used in osteoarthritis. Rheumatology, 2008; 47: 1719-1725 <h3>Disclosure of Interest</h3> R.-L. Dreiser Grant/Research support from: Expanscience Labs, M. Guillaume: None Declared.