Profile of long term degenerative hip disease patients / by Shannon Andersen. --

Abstract

The purpose ofthis study was to profile and determine the relationships among activity level, age, health status, quality of life, walking capacity and severity of degeneration in 54 (mean age 54.91 ± 16.97, range 26 to 86) long term degenerative hip disease (DHD) patients. The relationships of these variables with respect to five classifications of DHD (derived from a medical assessment as to the origin of the disease) were also examined, and various coping strategies utilized to manage the disease were documented. Radiological and historical data, the Short Form 36 (SF-36) Health Status Questionnaire, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), a set of interview questions, a six-minute walk test, and a seven day diary were used to obtain the data on each variable. Six correlations (p < 0.05; r > ± 0.50) were produced, the strongest of which (r = -0.73) was between health status (SF-36) and physical functioning (SF-36). Physical functioning also best predicted walking capacity. Three of the seven variables (age, general health (SF-36), and severity of degeneration) were significantly different among the groups. Analgesics were the coping strategy most recorded for both one-time usage and over a seven day period. Long-term DHD sufferers must survive with the daily limitations of their disease until surgery is warranted. Pain, stiffness and physical dysfunction associated with DHD, which are intermittent by nature, require the use of coping strategies to manage the symptoms, and help patients survive on a day to day basis. It would appear that, in this preliminary study, the DHD patients are surviving with this disease on a long term basis. Further longitudinal research is required to examine how these patients function over time. The results from this study give concrete evidence to physicians and DHD sufferers themselves on how other, similar long term patients have managed on a day to day basis.