Publication:

Impact of anxiety, depression, and stress among knee osteoarthritis patients: a percentage-based study

Background Mental health challenges play an important role in pain and progression of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Two prevalent psychological comorbidities that affect patients' quality of life (QoL) are anxiety and depression. The functional condition of patients with KOA may be influenced by feelings of depression and anxiety.

Methods The study was conducted on 108 individuals diagnosed with osteoarthritis knee according to European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) classification knee OA. Age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) were recorded, pain and functional activities were assessed using Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC), and depression, anxiety and stress scales-21 (DASS-21) was used for stress, anxiety, and depression.

Results The 108 patients with osteoarthritis knee were included in the study. The mean age of patients was 55.92±0.8 years, and the mean BMI was 27.24±0.4 kg/m2. The majority of patients with knee OA had typical levels of stress (64.75%), anxiety (39.57%), and depression (50.36%). There was mild to severe degrees of stress (17.27–10.79%), anxiety (9.35–22.30%), and depression (20.14–22.30%). Anxiety had a higher prevalence of severe to extremely severe cases (28.78%) than depression (11.52%) and stress (7.19%), indicating the psychological load experienced by a subgroup of patients.

Conclusions According to the findings, to maximize patient care and rehabilitation, psychological support, especially for anxiety, should be incorporated into the treatment of KOA.