To determine the prevalence, distribution and characteristics associated with radiographic metacarpophalangeal (MCP) osteoarthritis (OA).
This is a cross-sectional study of baseline data from the DIGItal Cohort Osteoarthritis Design, a French monocentric cohort including patients with symptomatic hand OA (HOA). We evaluated the prevalence of radiographic MCP OA defined as ≥2 MCP joints with a Kellgren and Lawrence score ≥2. We compared the prevalence of MCP OA in the dominant and non-dominant hands. Associations between radiographic MCP OA and patient characteristics were studied using univariable and multivariable logistic regression.
Radiographic MCP OA was present in 138 of the 425 patients (32.5%) but was not severe. Patients with MCP OA had a mean age of 69.2±6.9 years, a BMI of 25±4.2 kg/m
In this cross-sectional study using a hospital-based HOA cohort, radiographic MCP OA was frequent and associated with structural HOA features rather than with symptom severity. Our results suggest that the involvement of MCP joints in HOA is predominantly related to mechanical rather than systemic factors in this population.