The relationship between alcohol consumption and knee osteoarthritis in Korean population over 50 years-old: Results from Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

The relationship between spiritual well-being and surgical fear in elderly patients with gonarthrosis

BACKGROUND

Gonarthrosis is a chronic degenerative joint disease characterised by prolonged pain, affecting ~10% of men and 18% of women aged 60 and older worldwide. Surgical interventions are commonly employed in patients with gonarthrosis to minimise disability, alleviate pain, and improve overall quality of life. However, surgical treatment remains a feared experience. This study was conducted to identify the levels of spiritual well-being and surgical anxiety in elderly patients diagnosed with gonarthrosis who are scheduled for surgical intervention. The aim was to examine the relationship between these factors and identify influencing elements.

METHODS

This descriptive and correlational study was conducted between September 2022 and June 2023 in the orthopaedics and traumatology service of a state hospital, involving 105 patients aged 65 and above with gonarthrosis and admitted for treatment. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Surgical Fear Questionnaire, and Three-Factor Spiritual Well-being Scale. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistical tests, Mann-Whitney U-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman correlation analysis.

RESULTS

The short-term surgical fear of patients was 11.69 ± 7.55, the long-term surgical fear was 10.70 ± 9.53, and the total surgical fear was 22.40 ± 14.69 points, indicating a low level. Single and inexperienced elderly patients had higher levels of surgical fear (P < 0.05). The spiritual well-being levels of elderly patients (transcendence, 59.65 ± 12.20; harmony with nature, 29.10 ± 4.65; anomy, 26.34 ± 5.28; total score, 115.10 ± 17.83) were high. The spiritual well-being levels of elderly individuals whose income matched their expenses were higher (P < 0.05). There was a statistically significant negative relationship between the level of anomy in elderly patients with gonarthrosis and surgical fear (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In elderly patients with planned surgical interventions for gonarthrosis. It was determined that the levels of surgical fear were low, and the levels of spiritual well-being were high. The study identified that the level of anomy had an impact on surgical fear. It is recommended that healthcare professionals be aware of the influence of spiritual well-being on surgical fear and provide spiritual support to elderly patients.

The Causal Association between Alcohol, Smoking, Coffee Consumption, and the Risk of Arthritis: A Meta-Analysis of Mendelian Randomization Studies

Objective: To evaluate the genetic causality between alcohol intake, smoking, coffee consumption, and arthritis. Methods: Mendelian randomization (MR) studies with alcohol, smoking, and coffee consumption behaviors as exposures, and osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as outcomes were retrieved from up to July 2023. Two researchers with relevant professional backgrounds independently assessed the quality and extracted data from the included studies. Meanwhile, we applied MR analyses of four lifestyle exposures and five arthritis outcomes (two for OA and three for RA) with gene-wide association study (GWAS) data that were different from the included studies, and the results were also included in the meta-analysis. Statistical analyses were performed using Stata 16.0 and R software version 4.3.1. Results: A total of 84 studies were assessed. Of these, 11 were selected for meta-analysis. As a whole, the included studies were considered to be at a low risk of bias and were of high quality. Results of the meta-analysis showed no significant genetic causality between alcohol intake and arthritis (odds ratio (OR): 1.02 (0.94-1.11)). Smoking and arthritis had a positive genetic causal association (OR: 1.44 (1.27-1.64)) with both OA (1.44 (1.22-1.71)) and RA (1.37 (1.26-1.50)). Coffee consumption and arthritis also had a positive genetic causal association (OR: 1.02 (1.01-1.03)). Results from the subgroup analysis showed a positive genetic causality between coffee consumption and both OA (OR: 1.02 (1.00-1.03)) and RA (OR: 1.56 (1.19-2.05)). Conclusion: There is positive genetic causality between smoking and coffee consumption and arthritis (OA and RA), while there is insufficient evidence for genetic causality between alcohol intake and arthritis.

Association between Alcohol Consumption and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease Based on Alcohol Flushing Response in Men: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2019-2021

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is distinguished by the buildup of excessive liver fat unrelated to alcohol consumption. However, the role of alcohol consumption on disease progression is debatable. Recently, alcohol flushing syndrome in Asian populations has gained interest, and its role in the risk of developing MASLD is unknown. Therefore, in this cross-sectional study, we investigated the association between alcohol consumption and MASLD in Korean men, considering their alcohol flushing response and utilizing the lipid accumulation product (LAP) score. Data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2019-2021) were analyzed. Participants were categorized into non-or-infrequent drinkers and light-to-heavy drinkers and further sub-classified based on alcohol flushing response as non-flushers and flushers. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed a significant association between alcohol consumption and MASLD risk in both non-flushers (aHR 1.90, 95% CI 1.51-2.40, p < 0.001) and flushers (aHR 2.35, 95% CI 1.94-2.84, p < 0.001) after adjusting for potential confounding factors such as age, exercise, smoking, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and fasting plasma glucose. There was a significant interaction between alcohol consumption and alcohol flushing response for MASLD risk (p for interaction < 0.001). These findings emphasize the importance of alcohol flushing as a potential indicator of MASLD risk in Korean men and highlight the need for further research to understand the underlying mechanisms and develop targeted preventive strategies.

Decline of Lung Function in Knee and Spine Osteoarthritis in the Korean Population: Cross-Sectional Analysis of Data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Background: Evidence on the close association between osteoarthritis (OA) and lung diseases is supported by the shared pathogenesis of the two diseases. We assessed the association between knee and spine OA and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the Korean population. Methods: Using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2012, a total of 2006 subjects who underwent both plain radiography for assessment of knee and lumbar spine and spirometry analysis for lung function were analyzed. Radiographic severity grade for OA was assessed using the Kellgren−Lawrence (K-L) grading scale. COPD was defined as a ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) to forced vital capacity (FVC) less than 0.7. Results: Subjects with spine OA had higher prevalence of COPD than controls (p < 0.001), but not knee OA (p = 0.990). FVC (L), FEV1 (L), and FVC/FEV1 (%) were significantly decreased in spine OA compared to in controls (p = 0.003, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively). FVC (L), FVC (%), FEV1 (L), and FEV1 (%) were significantly different between knee OA and controls. Univariate regression analysis showed that spine OA was significantly associated with COPD (OR 1.581, 95% CI 1.204−2.076, p = 0.001), but not knee OA. Multivariate analysis revealed that spine OA lost statistical significance for COPD. Conclusion: This study found that subjects with knee OA and spine OA had a decline of lung function compared to subjects without OA, although OA was not associated with COPD.