The polyarticular features of osteoarthritis requiring hip and knee surgery.

A review of 62 operated cases with osteoarthritis (OA) indicated clinical evidence of polyarthritis in over 80%. In most cases features of generalized osteoarthritis (GOA) were found. Hand joint arthritis was prominent but, along with the other affected joints, usually asymptomatic. The coexistence of knee disease in cases with hip arthritis and the low incidence of hip changes in those with knee involvement suggest differences in cause for hip disease. These data indicate that the concept of OA as an oligoarticular lesion induced by mechanical or aging processes is inappropriate in a major proportion of knee and hip cases that present for joint replacement. They support the notion that an intrinsic tissue defect is involved in the etiopathogenesis of GOA.