Assessment of Quality of Life in Patients After Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) at Five and Ten Years Following Surgery
TL;DR
Differences in quality-of-life assessments concern both physical and mental health domains, and significant differences were observed in the mean scores of physical health, mental health, and psychological well-being among all three study groups.
Abstract
<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The concept of quality of life in medical sciences is regarded as a health indicator and is described in the literature as health-related quality of life (HRQoL). It encompasses various domains, including physical, functional, emotional, social, and economic aspects. It represents a subjective assessment of an individual's ability to function in daily life and their overall life satisfaction. Osteoarthritis is a chronic, progressive disease that gradually leads to joint dysfunction, resulting in difficulties in performing everyday activities. Surgical treatment is commonly used for advanced degenerative changes of the hip joint. The benefits of Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) include pain reduction and improved hip joint mobility, which contribute to enhanced quality of life.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The study recruited patients who underwent THA between 2008-2009 and 2013-2014. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 131 participants were enrolled in the study, including 41 individuals assessed five years after THA and 40 individuals assessed ten years after surgery. The control group consisted of 50 participants from the general population without a diagnosis of lower-limb osteoarthritis. All participants were aged between 55 and 70 years. Quality of life was assessed using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) Health Survey.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Significant differences were observed in the mean scores of physical health, mental health, and psychological well-being. Regarding physical functioning, significant differences were found among all three study groups. Scores related to role limitations due to emotional problems were significantly lower in the group assessed five years after surgery compared with both the ten-year postoperative group and the control group. In the psychological well-being domain, significant differences were observed between participants assessed five and ten years after surgery. Higher mean scores were recorded in the group evaluated ten years after THA. Mean mental health scores also differed significantly between participants assessed five and ten years after surgery. After adjustment for sociodemographic factors (age, sex, body mass index [BMI], education level, place of residence, employment status, and household management), the significant differences identified in the univariate analyses remained statistically significant and retained the same direction of association for physical functioning, mental health (including role limitations due to emotional problems), and psychological well-being. However, no significant differences were found for physical health.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The findings of this study indicate differences in quality-of-life assessments between the study groups and the control group. These differences concern both physical and mental health domains. The quality of life of patients after THA varied between the postoperative groups and was lower than that of individuals in the control group.</span></span></p>