In this sample of nearly 600 elderly male veterans with moderate-to-severe OA of the hip and/or knee, we found that African-American patients reported less non-VA insurance coverage than white patients. White patients were more likely than African-American patients to report that it was difficult getting medical care when they needed it. Differences between the two [...]

Baseline Comparisons
Table 1 summarizes the clinical, demographic and psychosocial characteristics of the comparison groups. The two groups were similar with respect to age, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, Lequesne scores, WOMAC scores and GDS. However, African-American participants, when compared to white participants, reported lower annual household incomes (P<0.01) and were less likely to be employed (P=0.01), [...]

Population
Participants selected for this study were AfricanAmerican and white male patients who participated in a previous VA-funded study on ethnic/cultural variations in the management of OA. Participants were identified from a list of scheduled primary care visits at VA outpatient clinics. The study staff approached all the patients 50 years of age or older during [...]

By 2020, the estimated number of people in the United States suffering from arthritis in general will increase by 50%} By 2050, approximately 60 million Americans will suffer from arthritis at an estimated annual societal cost of $65 billion. The pain and dysfunction caused by osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip and knee is a leading [...]