Is Severe Knee Osteoarthritis Associated with Intertrochanteric Rather Than Femoral Neck Hip Fractures?

Abstract

We have not identified any research in the literature that explores the severity of knee osteoarthritis in relation to the type of hip fracture. In our study, we examined the severity of knee osteoarthritis in patients with hip fractures affecting the intertrochanteric (Group 1) and femoral neck region (Group 2). In our study, patients over 50 years of age were analyzed and Kellgren-Lawrence classification was applied to bilateral knee radiographs. The correlation between the severity of knee osteoarthritis and the classification of hip fractures was analyzed, and subgroups were compared. The stages of knee osteoarthritis in Group 1 and Group 2; the stage of knee osteoarthritis on the hip fracture side and the healthy side were compared both between groups and within groups. 109 patients were evaluated in Group 1 and 74 patients in Group 2. The knee osteoarthritis grade of Group 1 patients was significantly more severe on both the fractured side (3.44 ± 0.81) and the healthy side (3.17 ± 0.91) in comparison to the fractured side (2.89 ± 1.00) (p<0.01) and the healthy side (2.88 ± 0.82) (p=0.032) of Group 2 patients. In Group 1, the severity of knee osteoarthritis on the fractured side was statistically substantially greater than on the healthy side (p<0.01). In Group 2, the comparison of knee osteoarthritis severity between the fractured and healthy sides revealed no statistically significant difference (p=0.849). Severe knee osteoarthritis was associated with a higher proportion of intertrochanteric hip fractures. Also, the hip on the same side as the knee with more advanced osteoarthritis is more likely to fracture.