Introduction:

osteoarthritis is the most frequent rheumatic disease and is conceptualized as a chronic and degenerative disease in which there is a decrease in joint cartilage that causes pain, stiffness, deformity, disability and affect the perception of quality of life related to health from the patients.

Objective:

to determine the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of osteoarthritis in patients with osteoarthritis of the canton Colta.

Method:

descriptive, cross-sectional study in 475 patients diagnosed with osteoarthritis belonging to the canton Colta. A review of clinical histories was carried out and a questionnaire made exclusively for research was applied.

Result:

the average age was 45.51 years, with a predominance of female patients (70.95 %) and of knees (39.37 %) and hands (33.47 %). High percentage of comorbidities (57.47 %) with predominance of arterial hypertension (30.40 %) and obesity (20.88 %). Pain and deformities were the most representative clinical manifestations with 91.79% and 42.36% respectively.

Conclusions:

osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that not only occurs at advanced ages, but its onset may be at much younger ages. As a disease, it is associated with a high number of comorbidities, including high blood pressure, obesity and cigarette smoking. Pain and deformity are the clinical manifestations that motivate the assistance of patients to medical consultation.

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