Potential Risk Factors Associated with Hand Osteoarthritis in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Yang, Yating, 楊雅婷
• Other Authors: 黃怡婷
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/56151486670129243766

碩士 === 國立臺北大學 === 統計學系 === 101 === The aging problem is become a global problem. Once people in middle age, the physical function will gradually degenerate, and the occurrence of all chronic diseases or other aging diseases will increase apparent. Thus, the impact of the aging world should be studied more carefully. Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative Joint Disease, is one of the most troublesome diseases among all of the most common elderly diseases. It not only induces pain constantly, but also causes the physical movement uncomfortably. Up to now, hand osteoarthritis disease symptoms and the patients’ own situation are studied rarely by researches studied osteoarthritis in Taiwan. If osteoarthritis can be diagnosed earlier by the clinical observation, it can effectively avoid the subsequent pain symptoms, possible loss of the physical function and even disability. This study utilized the data from Genome-Wide Study for Disease Susceptibility Genes in Patients with Hand Osteoarthritis (HOA) of the Han-Chinese Population involving a collection of eight hospitals. 497 eligible participants were classified into three groups. There were 182 participants who had hand osteoarthritis, and 115 participants who were treated as a disease control group and a normal control group of 200 participants. The demographics of participants, the family’s ancestral history and related disease history, profession and lifestyle, the medical history and drug history, the clinical physical examination, the clinical physical assessment, the grip strength, and pinch strength measurements were collected. Many clinical variables were grouped into many constructs established by the factor analysis and reliability analysis. The chi-square and Kruskall Wallis test were used to assess the association between the categorical variable and the continuous explanatory variable and the classification of the participants. The overall association between associated clinical variables and the classification of participants were assessed by the multinomial logit model. Age at screening, weight, finger joints swollen, gender, hospital classification have the greatest influence in predicting the classification of participants. More specifically, the study shows that people with swelling on finger joints suffer higher probability of hand osteoarthritis, and older age is an important risk of hand osteoarthritis. The results of this study provide clinical preliminary judgment in hand osteoarthritis. The health agencies can use such information to develop health policy in this area. As a result, people can effectively prevent from suffering hand osteoarthritis or reduce the risk having this disease.