Dekhissi Anas, Taik Fatima Zahrae, Aharrane Fatima Zahra, Adnine Anass, Takhrifa Nihad, Fourtassi Maryam, Abourazzak Fatima Ezzahra
Department of Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tangier, Mohamed VI University Hospital, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tangier, Morocco.
Life and Health Sciences Laboratory, Faculty of Medecine and Pharmacy of Tangier, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tangier, Morocco.
BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2025 Apr 1;26(1):315. doi: 10.1186/s12891-025-08552-9.
Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a chronic, disabling condition without a definitive cure, and current management strategies prioritize symptom relief and slowing disease progression rather than addressing the underlying cause. Therefore, KOA patients turn to social media (SM) in the hope of finding a solution or a treatment to relieve their pain. The main goal of this study was to explore the prevalence of information sought by KOA patients on SM and to determine factors associated with its use.
This cross-sectional study included adult patients followed in our rheumatology department for KOA according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria for > 3 months. All patients underwent a standardized questionnaire-based interview covering their sociodemographic and clinical data, including age, level of education, body mass index, disease duration, and the presence of comorbidities. Pain intensity was measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). We used the Lequesne index for KOA to assess functional impairment, and the Kellgren and Lawrence classification to assess the severity of KOA. We utilized the Trust in Physician Scale (TPS) to measure patients' trust in their physicians. In contrast, the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ)-Specific Concerns subscale assessed patients' concerns about prescribed medication. Psychosocial risk factors were assessed using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), and the Patient Health Questionnaire for depression (PHQ-9).
A total of 178 patients were included, with an average age of 58 ± 9,915 years and a female predominance (88,2%). The average progression period of KOA was around 3 years [1; 8,5] and the median pain score on the VAS was 4,79 ± 2,214. A third of KOA patients turned to SM for health information, mainly YouTube. While 17% trusted the content, a comparable 10% shared it with their doctors. The main factors associated with SM use were younger age, higher level of education, and higher pain catastrophizing.
These findings highlight the significant potential of SM platforms for KOA patients, whether it's enhancing their education and awareness, fostering peer support and community connections, or enabling better communication and remote monitoring with healthcare providers.
膝关节骨关节炎（KOA）是一种慢性致残性疾病，尚无根治方法，目前的治疗策略优先考虑缓解症状和减缓疾病进展，而非解决根本病因。因此，KOA患者转向社交媒体（SM），希望找到缓解疼痛的解决方案或治疗方法。本研究的主要目的是探讨KOA患者在SM上寻求信息的普遍性，并确定与其使用相关的因素。
这项横断面研究纳入了根据美国风湿病学会标准在我们风湿科随访超过3个月的成年KOA患者。所有患者均接受了基于标准化问卷的访谈，内容涵盖其社会人口统计学和临床数据，包括年龄、教育程度、体重指数、疾病持续时间和合并症情况。使用视觉模拟量表（VAS）测量疼痛强度。我们使用KOA的Lequesne指数评估功能障碍，并使用Kellgren和Lawrence分类评估KOA的严重程度。我们利用对医生的信任量表（TPS）来衡量患者对其医生的信任。相比之下，药物信念问卷（BMQ）-特定担忧子量表评估患者对处方药的担忧。使用疼痛灾难化量表（PCS）、广泛性焦虑障碍（GAD-7）和患者健康问卷抑郁量表（PHQ-9）评估心理社会风险因素。
共纳入178例患者，平均年龄为58±9.915岁，女性占主导（88.2%）。KOA的平均病程约为3年[1；8.5]，VAS上的中位疼痛评分为4.79±2.214。三分之一的KOA患者转向SM获取健康信息，主要是YouTube。虽然17%的人信任这些内容，但有相当比例的10%的人与他们的医生分享了这些内容。与使用SM相关的主要因素是年龄较小、教育程度较高和疼痛灾难化程度较高。
这些发现凸显了SM平台对KOA患者的巨大潜力，无论是提高他们的教育水平和意识、促进同伴支持和社区联系，还是实现与医疗保健提供者更好的沟通和远程监测。
