Is osteoarthritis a metabolic disorder?

• Published in: British medical bulletin Vol. 115; no. 1; pp. 111 - 121
• Main Authors: Kluzek, S, Newton, J L, Arden, N K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.09.2015
• Subjects: Adipokines - physiology; Animals; Humans; Inflammation - complications; Inflammation - epidemiology; Metabolic Syndrome - complications; Metabolic Syndrome - epidemiology; Obesity - complications; Obesity - epidemiology; Osteoarthritis - epidemiology; Osteoarthritis - etiology; Risk Factors; metabolic syndrome; osteoarthritis; adipokines
• ISSN: 0007-1420; 1471-8391
• DOI: 10.1093/bmb/ldv028

Obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing osteoarthritis (OA), even in non-weight bearing joints. High levels of adipose tissue-associated inflammation may explain this association. Published evidence looking at the associations between components of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and knee, hip or hand OA and the higher mortality described with knee OA. Development of MetS and OA shares a relationship with adipose tissue-associated inflammation. This review supports this inflammatory pathway being part of the shared mechanism behind obesity as a risk factor for OA and the recently described OA-associated increased mortality. In an era of an obesity epidemic, this review identifies a need for well-designed cohort studies assessing early metabolic changes in populations at high risk of OA and MetS, and to identify risk factors for increased mortality in patients with OA.