Factors associated with diagnostic stage of hip osteoarthritis due to acetabular dysplasia among Japanese female patients: a cross-sectional study

Background In Japan, the majority of hip osteoarthritis (OA) was caused by acetabular dysplasia, and about 90 % of patients were female. The present study focused on Japanese female patients with hip OA due to acetabular dysplasia, and examined the associated factors with OA staging at diagnosis, in special reference to body weight. Methods Study subjects were 336 Japanese women who were newly diagnosed with hip OA caused by acetabular dysplasia at 15 hospitals in 2008. The self-administered questionnaire elicited patients’ body weight at age 20 and at OA diagnosis. Four ranked OA staging according to radiographic findings of the hip joint (pre-OA, initial stage, advanced stage or terminal stage) was regarded as the outcome index. Proportional odds models in logistic regression were used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) for severer stage of OA. Results At diagnosis, 45 % of patients suffered from terminal stage of OA, whereas 13 % and 14 % were categorized into pre-OA and initial stage, respectively. After adjustment for potential confounders, weight gain since age 20 revealed the increased ORs for severer OA stage at diagnosis (OR 2.02; 95 % CI, 1.07–3.80). Other significant characteristics were age (67+ vs. 20–49 years, OR 12.4), lower education (junior high school vs. junior college or higher, OR 4.00), parity (OR 2.19), lower acetabular head index (<60.0 vs. 71.1+, OR 2.36), and longer duration since symptom onset (6.0+ vs. <1.0 year, OR 2.94). Conclusions Weight gain since age 20 might be involved in mechanisms of OA development, which is independent of age or severity of acetabular dysplasia.