The registry data indicated that 52.2% of patients were treated for knee osteoarthritis, with other affected areas including the hand (23.5%), hip (17.7%), and other joints (6.7%).

Over 80% of participants reported moderate to severe disease, and 16% experienced reduced work hours or job loss due to their condition.

Patients reported average pain levels of 24.7 at rest and 42.8 during activity on a scale of 1-100.

While 67% of patients consulted doctors and 61.4% received physical therapy, only 11.8% received dietary interventions or weight management support.

Despite EULAR guidelines emphasizing the importance of weight management education for patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis, less than 10% received such support in practice.

The study highlighted a significant gap between real-world practices and EULAR guidelines, particularly regarding weight management interventions.

Valentina Schmolik noted the surprising prevalence of non-evidence-based treatments among osteoarthritis patients, urging the need for improved awareness of evidence-based practices.

Only 37.5% of patients were on pain-relief medications, while many took vitamins (40.3%) and plant-based products (12.6%), which are not recommended by EULAR.

Healthcare providers are encouraged to align treatment approaches with established guidelines to enhance patient outcomes in osteoarthritis management.

The authors advocate for increased awareness and implementation of evidence-based interventions in clinical settings.

At the 2025 EULAR congress in Barcelona, findings from the BLOAR registry were presented, revealing treatment patterns among 1,716 osteoarthritis patients in Austria.

Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of chronic pain, severely affecting physical function and quality of life, prompting the development of management guidelines by EULAR.