The value of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in hand and knee radiographic osteoarthritis: data from the Dong-gu Study

Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Total Hip Replacement Due to Hip Osteoarthritis in Women

OBJECTIVE

This study was undertaken to examine the relationship between alcohol consumption and hip osteoarthritis in women. Alcohol has been associated with both adverse and beneficial health effects generally; however, the relationship between alcohol consumption and hip osteoarthritis has been minimally studied.

METHODS

Among women in the Nurses' Health Study cohort in the US, alcohol consumption was assessed every 4 years, starting in 1980. Intake was computed as cumulative averages and simple updates with latency periods of 0-4 through 20-24 years. We followed 83,383 women without diagnosed osteoarthritis in 1988 to June 2012. We identified 1,796 cases of total hip replacement due to hip osteoarthritis defined by self-report of osteoarthritis with hip replacement.

RESULTS

Alcohol consumption was positively associated with hip osteoarthritis risk. Compared with nondrinkers, multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were HR 1.04 (95% CI 0.90, 1.19) for drinkers of >0 to <5 grams/day, HR 1.12 (95% CI 0.94, 1.33) for 5 to <10 grams/day, HR 1.31 (95% CI 1.10, 1.56) for 10 to <20 grams/day, and HR 1.34 (95% CI 1.09, 1.64) for ≥20 grams/day (P for trend < 0.0001). This association held in latency analyses of up to 16-20 years, and for alcohol consumption between 35-40 years of age. Independent of other alcoholic beverages, the multivariable HRs (per 10 grams of alcohol) were similar for individual types of alcohol intake (wine, liquor, and beer; P = 0.57 for heterogeneity among alcohol types).

CONCLUSION

Higher alcohol consumption was associated with greater incidence of total hip replacement due to hip osteoarthritis in a dose-dependent manner in women.

Evaluation of Serum Interleukin-38 Levels in Different Radiographic Grades of Idiopathic Knee Osteoarthritis

The aim of this study was to assess interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-1Ra, IL-36, and IL-38 levels together with hs-CRP levels in patients with different radiographic grades of knee osteoarthritis (OA) in comparison to healthy individuals. Consecutive patients aged over 50 years who were admitted to our Orthopaedics and Traumatology department between November 2018 and March 2019 and diagnosed as knee OA according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria were included in this prospective case-control study. Patients with knee OA were staged according to radiographic Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L) classification and 20 patients were assigned to each group. An age and gender matched control group consisted healthy volunteers with no clinical and radiographic sign of arthritis were conducted as the control group. Venous blood samples were collected and assessed for hs-CRP, IL-1β, IL-1Ra, IL-36, and IL-38 levels using the double-antibody sandwich ELISA method. The hs-CRP, IL-1β, IL-36 and IL-38 levels did not significantly differ among controls and independent radiographic stage groups except IL-1Ra levels which was significantly higher in K-L grade 4 knee OA groups compared to healthy controls (P = 0.045). When we compared all patients with knee OA and healthy controls, we detected that IL-1 and IL-1Ra were significantly lower and IL-38 levels were significantly higher in healthy control group compared to patients with knee OA (P = <0.001, <0.001, and 0.019, respectively). According to results obtained from our study, IL-1β, IL-1Ra, and IL-38 levels significantly differed between healthy individuals and patients with knee OA. However, we did not observe a significant difference and correlation between radiographic grade of knee OA and interleukin levels.

The association of the progression of knee osteoarthritis with high-sensitivity CRP in community-dwelling people-the Yakumo study

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to investigate the relationship between high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) levels and the knee osteoarthritis (KOA) status and whether high hs-CRP levels predict the progression of clinical KOA in community-dwelling people.

METHODS

We enrolled 247 subjects (male, n = 99; female, n = 148) who participated in the "Yakumo study" at least twice from 2003 to 2008. The KOA was evaluated by knee X-ray using the knee osteoarthritis computer-aided diagnosis (KOACAD) measurement system to obtain the mJSW, the size of the osteophyte area (OPA), and femorotibial angle (FTA). The pain intensity of the knee joint was measured using a visual analog scale (VAS, 0-100). First, we performed a multiple regression analysis to assess the relationship between the initial hs-CRP and mJSW, OPA, FTA, and VAS. Second, we examined the correlated coefficients between the amount of change hs-CRP and radiographic progressions and VAS changes. Third, we divided into two groups. Group H elevated hs-CRP levels (> 0.1 mg/dl). We picked up the subject matched to Group H according to BMI, age, sex, and medial mJSW at baseline in a 1:1 ratio; these participants were classified as the control group (Group L). The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the demographic data between the two groups. P values of < 0.05 were considered to indicate statistical significance.

RESULTS

The initial hs-CRP was a significant explanatory factor for mJSW and VAS change in multiple regression analysis. The change of VAS value negatively correlated with the change of hs-CRP. Besides, the change of hs-CRP did not correlate with the radiographical change. Among these subjects, 55 had elevated hs-CRP levels (> 0.1 mg/dl) (Group H). Among the 192 subjects whose hs-CRP levels were ≤ 0.1 mg/dl, 55 subjects were matched to patients in Group H according to the age, sex, BMI, and average minimum joint space width (mJSW) at baseline and were used as a control group (Group L). The narrowing of the medial mJSW and the amount of change in OPA in group H were significantly greater than group L. The amount of change in FTA and VAS scores did not differ between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

Hs-CRP levels would be significantly associated with the progression of knee osteoarthritis. Key Points • We investigated the relationship between hs-CRP levels and the progression and the pain of osteoarthritis knee. • We used a KOACAD system, which can measure the medial and lateral joint space narrowing, osteophyte, and femoral-tibia angle from plain radiographs automatically. • Hs-CRP levels were significantly associated with the progression of knee osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis year in review 2018: biomarkers (biochemical markers)

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this narrative review is to summarize important findings from biochemical marker studies relevant to osteoarthritis (OA) in the context of new discoveries and clinical and scientific need.

DESIGN

We conducted a systematic search of electronic medical databases (Embase, Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane central) between 01-03-2017 and 31-03-2018. The search was restricted to human studies, English language and full text available publications while reviews were excluded. Only papers describing protein based biomarkers measured in human body fluids (blood, urine and synovial fluid (SF)) were included. Of the 992 papers, 86 were reviewed here, with inclusion primarily based on relevance to OA biochemical markers.

RESULTS

This review highlights a selection of studies based on their quality and perceived importance to the field mainly including those that¹ evaluate prognostic value of biomarkers for OA progression (i.e., biomarkers reflecting change in composition of joint tissues and biomarkers of inflammation)², help in assessment of intervention efficacy, and³ are innovative and uncover new candidate biomarkers, or use new approaches in biomarker discovery.

CONCLUSIONS

Key findings and implications for possible clinical utility of biochemical markers are summarized and discussed. Given the paucity of robust biomarkers within the field, and the heterogeneity of the condition, enormous works are needed for development and validation of novel and clinically applicable biomarkers to reduce the impact of this highly prevalent and debilitating condition.