Associations between body composition measurements of obesity and radiographic osteoarthritis in older adults: Data from the Dong-gu Study

Lihui Wen,Yi-Rang Yim,Ji-Hyoun Kang,Sun-Seog Kweon,Kyung-Eun Lee,Jeong-Won Lee,Yong-Woon Yun,Dong-Jin Park,Min-Ho Shin,Tae-Jong Kim,Ji-Eun Kim,Young-Hoon Lee,Shin-Seok Lee,Yong-Wook Park

doi:10.1186/s12891-016-1040-9

Abstract

BackgroundWe examined the effects of fat deposition on radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) to determine the role of obesity in the pathogenesis of radiographic OA.MethodsData were taken from the Dong-gu cohort, a cross-sectional study of 2,367 subjects. Baseline characteristics, waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), fat mass, and fat percentage were collected, along with X-rays of the knees and hands. Total knee and hand radiographic OA scores were summed using a semi-quantitative grading system, and then stratified by gender using a multiple linear regression model.ResultsAfter adjusting for confounders, weight was the only factor significantly associated with knee radiographic OA, regardless of gender (all p < 0.01). Regarding the hand, fat percentage had the largest effect on radiographic OA in males (p = 0.008), while WHR was the most significant factor in females (p = 0.001). For the knee, fat mass was the most important factor for radiographic OA in males (p = 0.001), while in females, body mass index was the most important factor (p < 0.001). Among the variables, only fat percentage was significantly related to both hand and knee radiographic OA in both genders (all p < 0.01).ConclusionsRegardless of gender, weight was significantly associated with knee radiographic OA. Otherwise, fat deposition correlated with hand and knee radiographic OA in both genders, while the distribution of fat tissue was significantly associated with hand and knee radiographic OA only in females.

Highlights

We examined the effects of fat deposition on radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) to determine the role of obesity in the pathogenesis of radiographic OA
The mechanisms linking obesity and OA still remain unclear. One reason for this lack of clarity may be that obesity is typically defined by a body mass index (BMI) [5], which measures only height and weight, with no consideration of other obesity-related characteristics, such as the distribution of fat [waist circumference (WC), waistto-hip ratio (WHR)] or fat deposition, and does not discriminate adipose from non-adipose mass
The body composition measurements according to gender showed significant differences; the mean BMI, mean fat mass, and mean fat percentage of the female group were all higher than those of the male group (p < 0.001), whereas the mean weight, mean WC, and mean WHR of the female group were lower than those of the male group (p < 0.001)

Summary

Introduction

We examined the effects of fat deposition on radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) to determine the role of obesity in the pathogenesis of radiographic OA. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a heterogeneous group of diseases with differing pathogenesis in different joints [1]. One reason for this lack of clarity may be that obesity is typically defined by a body mass index (BMI) [5], which measures only height and weight, with no consideration of other obesity-related characteristics, such as the distribution of fat [waist circumference (WC), waistto-hip ratio (WHR)] or fat deposition (fat mass, fat percentage), and does not discriminate adipose from non-adipose mass. Greater insight into the relationships between these body composition measurements and OA will be useful for investigation of the mechanisms by which obesity and OA interact

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Results

Conclusion