Siviero P, Limongi F, Gesmundo A, et al. - Researchers conducted the study for examining factors that together with a hand or hip/knee osteoarthritis (OA) could contribute to functional decline over a year’s time in elderly people. The data of 1,886 people aged 65 to 85 years old were analyzed in a prospective, observational population-based study with 12–18 months of follow-up as part of the European Project on Osteoarthritis. After a year, 453 participants were identified as having poorer hand functionality and 1,389 as not having poorer hand functionality. Hand OA, anxiety, walking time, and grip strength were all revealed to be risk factors for hand functional decline; the pain was found to be a confounder of hand OA's effect. Other baseline risk factors were peripheral artery disease, obesity, and cognitive impairment. The data demonstrated that OA impacts hand and hip/knee functional decline in combination with emotional status and chronic physical and cognitive conditions.