ASSOCIATION OF LOCOMOTOR COMPLAINTS AND DISABILITY IN THE ROTTERDAM STUDY

Objective-To determine the association between joint complaints and lo comotor disability. Methods-During a home interview survey 1901 men an d 3135 women aged 55 years and over (the Rotterdam Study) were asked a bout joint pain and morning stiffness in the past month, and locomotor disability was assessed by six questions from the Health Assessment Q uestionnaire (HAQ). Results-The prevalence of locomotor disability was 24.5% for men and 40.5% for women. The prevalence of joint pain in me n was 0.7% for pain in the hips, knees, and feet simultaneously, 3.7% for pain at two joint sites, 16.0% for pain at one joint site, and 20. 4% for pain in the hips and/or knees and/or feet (any joint site); the corresponding estimates for women were 1.9%, 9.0%, 23.7%, and 34.5%, respectively. The prevalence of generalised morning stiffness was 4.9% for men and 10.4% for women. The age adjusted odds ratios for locomot or disability in men ranged from 2.4 of pain at one joint site to 8.8 of pain at all three joint sites; for women these odds ratios varied b etween 2.5 and 5.7, respectively. The age adjusted odds ratios of gene ralised morning stiffness were 8.0 for men and 7.3 for women. Conclusi on-There is a strong independent association between motor disability and age, joint pain, and generalised morning stiffness in people aged 55 years and over. The odds for locomotor disability increase onefold for every year increase in age, while the presence of generalised morn ing stiffness is of greater influence than the presence of joint pain.