Hand osteoarthritis (OA) usually presents with hand joint pain, brief morning stiffness, impaired hand function, decreased grip strength and impaired activities of daily living. It is characterised by bony enlargements and deformities of the hand joints.¹ 

The lifetime risk of symptomatic hand OA is 40%, with one in two women and one in four men developing symptomatic disease by age 85 years.² Hand OA prevalence increased by 110% in Australia from 1990 to 2019.³ 

Over 30% of patients with the condition have symptomatic progression (an additional painful joint) over 12 years.⁴ 

Hand OA is a heterogeneous condition, often involving multiple joints. There are distinct patterns of joint involvement that can be categorised into thumb base OA (TBOA) (first carpometacarpal), interphalangeal joint (IPJ) OA (with or without nodes), and erosive OA.⁵ Erosive OA causes a greater clinical burden and carries a worse prognosis than non-erosive hand OA.^6,7