Experts have studied how a person’s body mass index could impact pain in individuals with hand osteoarthritis.
In a study in Arthritis & Rheumatology of people with hand osteoarthritis, higher body mass index was associated with greater pain severity in the hands, feet, knees, and hips.
The study involved a total of 281 patients with their body mass index being observed.
Hand pain and total body joint pain seemed to involve certain inflammatory markers noted the researchers.
“Our results highlight the complexity of pain in hand osteoarthritis,” said Doctor Marthe Gløersen, of Diakonhjemmet Hospital, in Norway.
The lead author of the study continued: “Obesity is not only leading to pain through increased loading of joints in the lower extremities but seems to have systemic effects leading to pain in the hands and overall body.”
In another study published in the National Library of Health, obesity as a risk factor for osteoarthritis in the hands and wrist was further looked at.
The study involved 1,276 participants, 588 males and 688 females, who were aged 50-74 years.
Baseline obesity was measured by an index of relative weight and was found to be significantly associated with the 23-year incidence of osteoarthritis of the hands among subjects’ disease free at baseline.
“The difference between baseline and follow-up weight values was not significantly associated with the incidence of osteoarthritis of the hands. Furthermore, there was no evidence that development of osteoarthritis subsequently led to increased incidence of obesity,” it added.
