Obesity and Multisite Pain in the Lower Limbs: Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative

Background. Although several studies investigated the relationship between obesity, osteoarthritis, and pain, no study examined the association between obesity and multijoint pain in the lower limbs. The purpose of this study was to address this gap. Method. This cross-sectional study was performed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between March and April 2019. In this study, a total of 4,661 adults aged 45-79 years with or at high risk for knee osteoarthritis were included from the Osteoarthritis Initiative. The persons who had an elevated risk of developing symptoms of knee osteoarthritis during the study were defined as high risk for knee osteoarthritis. According to the body mass index, participants were categorized into three groups: normal weight (n = 1,068), overweight (n = 1,832), and obese (n = 1,761). Logistic regression was used to examine the association between obesity and multisite pain. Results. The odds of multisite pain was associated significantly (p<0.001) by 1.36 times higher with obesity than normal weight, no, or sigle-site pain, even after adjusting for sociodemographic and health variables Conclusion. Obesity is associated with an increased likelihood of multisite pain in the lower limbs. The results enable clinicians to adopt better standards of practice for the prevention and screening of multisite pain in this community.