Cardiovascular Risk in Digital Osteoarthritis

To join this study, you need to be an adult, male or female, and able to understand and agree to take part. You must also be signed up to a social security plan, which is usually the case for people living and working in the UK.

If you have osteoarthritis in your finger joints, you might be able to join the 'finger osteoarthritis group'. You would need to have been seen by a specialist doctor for this condition, and X-rays would need to show clear signs of osteoarthritis. However, if you have other types of inflammatory arthritis (like rheumatoid arthritis or gout) or severe arthritis in other joints at the moment, you wouldn't be able to join this specific group.

If you don't have finger osteoarthritis, you might be able to join the 'control group'. This is for people who have conditions like back pain (due to disc problems) or early, not severe, osteoporosis (thinner bones). But if you have any inflammatory arthritis, finger pain from other causes, or indeed, finger osteoarthritis, you wouldn't be suitable for the control group. Also, if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or unable to give consent, you cannot take part.

If you decide to take part in this study, you'll be asked to come to the hospital for a check-up. During this visit, you'll meet with a rheumatologist, who is a specialist doctor for joint conditions, for a full health check. You'll also have a special ultrasound scan of the blood vessels in your neck (called carotid intima media thickness ultrasound) to check their health.

Additionally, there will be another ultrasound scan of your hand joints, and a specific test called an EndoPAT™ system measurement, which looks at how well your blood vessels are working. You will also have a scan called a DXA scan, which measures bone density. This is a "one-off" visit, meaning you won't need to come back multiple times. The total duration of your involvement in the study will be just for this single assessment appointment.