Differences in presentation, progression and rates of arthroplasty between hip and knee osteoarthritis: Observations from an osteoarthritis cohort study‐a clear role for conservative management

AIM: To describe the natural progression and the rates of arthroplasty of a cohort of hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients. METHODS: An observational study of 247 consecutive patients who attended an OA clinic between May 2008 and August 2009. Follow‐up survey was conducted from July 2014 to December 2014, with the primary end point being joint replacement surgery. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty‐seven patients had knee OA and 80 patients had hip OA. When adjusted for other variables (age, gender, body mass index, Kellgren‐Lawrence stage, symptom duration, presence of OA elsewhere and pain score), patients with hip OA demonstrated 86% increased hazard of surgery compared to knee OA patients (95% CI increase of 19% to 193%). At 6 years after initial consultation, 67% of patients with knee OA did not require a knee replacement surgery, while 40% (30, 51) of hip OA patients did not undergo surgery (95% CI: 59–74%). Overall at 6 years, 58% of patients (95% CI: 51–64%) did not undergo joint replacement surgery. CONCLUSION: Knee and hip OA patients appear to behave differently, with hip OA patients more likely to undergo arthroplasty. There is a significant number of both hip OA and knee OA patients who did not require arthroplasty at the end of 6 years, suggesting a major role for conservative therapy.