ABSTRACT
【Objective】 To describe the distribution characteristics of knee and ankle joint range of motion and muscle atrophy related indexes in patients with Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) in Shaanxi Province so as to explore the correlation of knee and ankle joint range of motion (ROM) with muscle atrophy indexes and provide reference for clinical characteristics analysis of KBD patients. 【Methods】 To investigate the registered KBD patients from KBD areas in Shaanxi Province, we measured the general demographic data of the patients were collected and the ROM of the knee joint (flexion and extension), the ankle joint (dorsiflexion and plantar flexion), and the muscle atrophy related indexes such as the upper arm circumference, thigh circumference, calf circumference and grip strength. According to the population characteristics, i.e., gender, age, body mass index (BMI) and KBD grade, the median and quartile of joint ROM and muscle atrophy of KBD patients were reported, and then the differences in each index among different groups were analyzed. Partial correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between indicators after controlling for variables such as gender, age and BMI. 【Results】 A total of 480 patients with KBD were investigated in this study, who consisted of 249 (51.9%) males and 231 (48.1%) females, with an average age of (63.10±7.32) years and an average BMI of (23.49±8.90) kg/m2. The knee flexion ROM, knee extension ROM, ankle dorsiflexion ROM and ankle plantar flexion ROM were [105.0 (95.0, 120.0)] °, [0.0 (-15.0, 0.0)] °, [5.0 (0.0, 15.0)] ° and [20.0 (15.0, 30.0)] °, respectively, in KBD patients in Shaanxi Province. The left thigh circumference, right thigh circumference, left calf circumference, right calf circumference, and upper arm circumference were [43.0 (40.0, 47.0)] cm, [43.0 (39.0, 47.0)] cm, [29.0 (27.0, 32.0)] cm, [29.5 (27.0, 32.0)] cm, [27.0 (25.0, 30.0)] cm, respectively. The left hand grip strength and right hand grip strength were [13.4 (9.5, 18.4)] kg and [13.9 (9.8, 18.2)] kg, respectively. With the increase of age, the extension range of the left and right knee joints of KBD patients showed a decreasing trend (H=31.499, 31.847; all P<0.001). The range of motion of bilateral knee flexion was higher in the normal BMI group than in the overweight or obese group, with statistically significant differences (H=7.753, 12.333; P=0.021, 0.002). The knee flexion, thigh circumference, and calf circumference of the left and right sides showed a decreasing trend under different KBD grades (H=14.345, 17.256, 8.000, 8.462, 8.558, 9.633; all P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that knee flexion ROM was positively correlated with thigh circumference, calf circumference, and grip strength in patients with KBD (all P<0.05). There was a positive correlation between knee extension ROM and thigh circumference in patients with KBD (P<0.01). 【Conclusion】 The impaired joint ROM and muscle atrophy are serious in KBD patients in Shaanxi Province, and there is a correlation between joint motion and muscle atrophy.