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BMI predictive of foot joint pain in middle-aged and older women
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A higher body mass index was associated with foot joint pain in a 20-year study of middle-aged and older women in the United Kingdom.
Participants in the Chingford Women’s Study, a prospective population-based longitudinal study of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, were seen at least once per year for up to 20 years. Participants ranged in age from 45 years to 64 years at baseline when data were first collected between 1988 and 1989. Complete follow-up data on body mass index (BMI) and foot joint pain were obtained from 639 women in the study between years 10 and 15.
Between year 10 and year 15, 49.6% (n=317) of the women gained weight, 47.6% of the women lost weight (n=304) and 2.8% of the women remained stable in weight.
Foot joint pain was reported by 21.6% (n=138) of women at year 10 and by 26.6% (n=170) at year 15. Those who reported foot joint pain had significantly higher BMI at both time points. No difference was seen when adjusted for age at either time.
In year 10, none of the underweight individuals reported foot joint pain, but at year 15, 10% of underweight participants reported foot joint pain, while 32% of women in the obese category reported foot joint pain. No changes were seen when adjusted for age, diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis.
The odds of developing foot joint pain between year 10 and year 15 increased by 2.7% per unit of BMI and the odds of having persistent foot joint pain increased by 7.9% by unit of BMI, but the associations were not statistically significant.
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