Statistical characteristics of groups of elderly patients with gonarthrosis against the background of overweight or obesity

Background. The aging of the population, the prevalence of gonarthrosis, and the the epidemic of overweight highlight the relevance of the study. Aim. To determine the effectiveness of the treatment algorithm for persons of older age groups with gonarthrosis of the II–III degree and functional insufficiency of the I–II degree, excessive body weight in the conditions of martial law by means of statistical processing of the obtained results. Materials and Methods. The study continued during 2022–2025 in the polyclinic of the Municipal Non-Profit Enterprise of the Kharkiv Regional Council "Regional Clinical Hospital". 100 older patients with gonarthrosis of II–III degree and functional insufficiency of I–II degree, and overweight, who were divided into three groups according to treatment tactics, were examined. Group I and Group II patients received oral chondroprotectors and used articulated orthoses. After 3 months, patients of Group I were injected with hyaluronic acid intra-articularly during a follow-up examination. Patients in all groups received topical and oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. All patients signed a consent to participate in the study. Statistical processing of the Lequesne index and Western Ontario & McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis index was carried out using SPSS 27 (IBM, USA). Results and Conclusions. According to the Kolmogorov-Smirnov criterion, the normal distribution of the studied indicators was confirmed. Combined treatment of patients of Group I (orthoses, chondroprotectors and hyaluronic acid) proved to be statistically and clinically effective in older patients with gonarthrosis of II–III degree and functional insufficiency of I–II degree against the background of overweight. Group II patients needed further optimization of treatment, and Group III – active intervention. The results obtained were similar to some foreign and domestic studies. Keywords: degenerative-dystrophic diseases, body mass index, Lequen index, Western Ontario & McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis index.