The burden of hip and knee osteoarthritis in Finnish occupational healthcare

Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability and pain especially among older adults, but it is also known to affect working age individuals, often leading to reduced productivity and increased healthcare usage. The aim of this study was to determine the burden of hip and knee OA in Finnish occupational healthcare. Methods This was a retrospective registry study utilizing the electronic medical records of the largest private and occupational healthcare provider in Finland. All consented patients with hip or knee OA were identified. A subcohort of occupational healthcare (OCH) patients was then compared to an age- and gender-matched control group without OA. Patient demographics including comorbidities were determined and healthcare contacts, medication prescriptions, and sick leaves were compared between the two groups. The study period was from January 1st, 2012 to April 30th, 2020. Results 51,068 patients with hip or knee OA were identified (all OA cohort) and 35,109 of these formed the occupational healthcare subcohort. Most of the OA patients were female and belonged to the age group 50-59 years. The point prevalence of hip/knee OA at the end of the study period was 5.6% for the occupational healthcare subcohort. OA patients had 2.2 times more healthcare contacts and 2.8 times more overall sick leave days compared to the age- and gender-matched control cohort. Etoricoxib was the most commonly prescribed medication at OA-related visits (21.8% of patients). Opioids were prescribed to 10.6% of patients at OA-related visits and the most prescribed opioid was a combination of codeine and paracetamol (4.8% of patients). 5054 OA patients (14.4%) had a contraindication for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Conclusions This retrospective registry study utilizing real-world data provides new evidence on the disease burden of hip or knee osteoarthritis from the electronic medical records of Finnish occupational healthcare customers. OA patients had more comorbidities, more healthcare contacts, more sick leave days, and more analgesic prescriptions compared to an age- and gender-matched control cohort without OA.