Laboratory Findings in Osteoarthritis

Abstract

T t u he assessment of joint disease activity and the prediction of its outcome are essential for a rational therapeutic pproach to the arthropathies, including osteoarthritis (OA). or this purpose, biochemical markers are thought to be seful because of their minimally invasive characteristic. rogress in understanding the pathogenesis of joint diseases nd modern technical methods provide new markers for asessment, but few are true disease markers (1). OA markers ay be determined in 3 biological fluids: serum, synovial uid (SF), and urine. Serum and urine determinations are ore readily available than SF. The latter, however, offers nformation that better reflects local changes occurring in the ffected joint. Molecular markers in urine are mainly related o bone metabolism, whereas serum markers originate from any tissues, including cartilage outside the joints. Molecuar markers are smaller and have shorter half-lives in blood han in joint fluid, and because of their complex metabolism, hey are difficult to interpret. In addition, serum levels are nfluenced by the function of organs mainly responsible for he elimination of molecular fragments, in particular, lymph odes and liver (2). In OA, the availability of reliable laboratory findings may e useful for several purposes, ie, providing information on iagnosis, disease activity, and prognosis. In some cases, they lso may be used for the evaluation of the effects of drugs.