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End-stage ankle arthritis as debilitating as end-stage hip arthritis, study finds

End-stage ankle arthritis patients also demonstrate significantly worse mental health.

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TORONTO — Surgeons are calling for more resources to treat patients with end-stage ankle arthritis after a study presented here confirmed that these patients experience mental and physical disability equal to those with end-stage hip arthritis.

Mark A. Glazebrook, MD, MSc, PhD, and colleagues compared Short Form-36 (SF-36) scores between 130 patients with end-stage ankle arthritis and a similar group of 130 patients with end-stage hip arthritis.

Glazebrook presented the results of the prospective, multicenter study at the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) 23rd Annual Summer Meeting.

This is the first study to report prospective data on the impact of end-stage ankle arthritis on pain, health-related quality of life and function, he noted.

Patients in both groups scored at least two standard deviations below normal population scores for all symptoms and functional SF-36 subscale scores, according to the study.

Both groups also had similar total SF-36 scores and similar scores for physical health.

Regarding mental health scores, however, "[People] with end-stage ankle arthritis were significantly more compromised than those with end-stage hip arthritis," Glazebrook said.

He noted that patients with end-stage hip arthritis showed worse physical function, but patients with end-stage ankle arthritis had worse role-physical scores and worse general health.

"We feel that this paper is ... a paper that you may be able to take your local hospital and fight with the big giants who are treating the total hip disease," Glazebrook said.

The study received this year's Roger A. Mann, MD, award.

For more information:

• Mark A. Glazebrook, MD, can be reached at Queen Elizabeth Health Sciences Center, Halifax Infirmary Suite 4867, Dalhousie University, 1796 Summer St., Halifax, NS B3H 3A7, Canada; 902-473-7137; e-mail: markglazebr@ns.sympatico.ca. He receives research or institutional support from DePuy.
• Glazebrook MA, Daniels T, Younger AS, et al. Patients with end-stage ankle and hip arthritis have similar poor health-related quality of life. Presented at the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society 23rd Annual Summer Meeting. July 13-15, 2007. Toronto.