A&R: Reduced body mass index is associated with reduced incidence and progression of structural defects in knee osteoarthritis: a prospective multi-cohort study

Objective: Overweight and obesity are risk factors for the onset and progression of knee osteoarthritis, and nearly 25% of new onset knee pain or osteoarthritis are caused by excess body weight
.
The purpose of this study was to define the association between changes in body mass index (BMI) and the incidence and progression of structural defects in knee osteoarthritis as assessed by radiography
.

Methods: Radiographic analyses of knee joints at baseline and at 4 to 5 years of follow-up were obtained from three independent cohort studies: the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) study in the United States and the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study (MOST), and Cohort Hip and Cohort Knee Study (CHECK) from Finland
.
Logistic regression analysis using generalized estimating equations with individual-level clustering of both knees to investigate the association between change in BMI from baseline to 4- to 5-year follow-up and the incidence and progression of knee osteoarthritis
.

Results: 9683 knees from 5774 participants in the "incidence cohort" and 6075 knees from 3988 participants in the "progression cohort" (covering both male and female patients) were studied
.
Patients were included with/without knee osteoarthritis structural defects at baseline
.
Changes in BMI were positively associated with the incidence and progression of structural defects in knee osteoarthritis
.
The adjusted odds ratio was 1.
05 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.
02 to 1.
09) for incidence and 1.
05 (95% CI 1.
01 to 1.
09) for progression
.
Changes in BMI were also positively associated with degeneration (i.
e.
, narrowing) of the joint space and degeneration of the femoral and tibial surfaces (as shown by osteophytes) on the medial side of the knee, but not on the lateral side of the knee
.

CONCLUSIONS: Lower BMI is independently associated with lower odds of onset and progression of structural defects in knee osteoarthritis and may be a component of preventing the onset or worsening of knee osteoarthritis
.
 

Original source: Salis Z, Gallego B, Nguyen TV, Sainsbury A.
Decrease in body mass index is associated with reduced incidence and progression of the structural defects of knee osteoarthritis: a prospective multi-cohort study.
Arthritis Rheumatol.
2022 Aug 16.
doi : 10.
1002/art.
42307.
Epub ahead of print.
PMID: 35974435.