Abstract
BackgroundMajor reports have suggested that bone mineral density (BMD) is higher in patients with osteoarthritis (OA), while other studies do not agree. Our aim was to examine the cross-sectional association between phalangeal BMD and radiographic knee OA.MethodsA total of 2855 participants were included in this study. Radiographic knee OA was defined as Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L) Grade ≥ 2 in at least one leg. BMD scans of the middle phalanges of the second, third and fourth digits of the nondominant hand were performed with a compact radiographic absorptiometry system (Alara MetriScan®). A multivariable logistic analysis model was applied to test the relation between phalangeal BMD with radiographic knee OA, the presence of knee osteophytes (OSTs), and knee joint space narrowing (JSN) after adjusting for a number of potential confounding factors.ResultsThe multivariable-adjusted odds ratios with 95 % confidence intervals [ORs (95 % CI)] of radiographic knee OA across phalangeal BMDs were 1.08 (95 % CI 0.89–1.32) and 0.62 (95 % CI 0.45–0.86), respectively. The P for trend was 0.09. For the female population, the multivariable-adjusted ORs (95 % CI) of radiographic knee OA across phalangeal BMD were 1.01 (95 % CI 0.73–1.37) and 0.58 (95 % CI 0.38 − 0.87), respectively. The P for trend was 0.02. This positive finding, however, did not exist in the male subgroup. There was a significantly lower prevalence of OST in the osteoporosis (OP) group than in the normal group (OR = 0.59, 95 % CI 0.40–0.88; P for trend was 0.01). In contrast, the prevalence of JSN was significantly higher in the osteopenia group (OR = 1.22, 95 % CI 1.00–1.48) and the OP group (OR = 1.35, 95 % CI 1.00–1.84) than in the normal group. The P for trend was 0.02.ConclusionsThis study observed lower odds for the presence of radiographic knee OA and OST in OP patients than in normal subjects. The prevalence of JSN was higher in the osteopenia and OP groups than in normal subjects.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12891-016-0918-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Major reports have suggested that bone mineral density (BMD) is higher in patients with osteoarthritis (OA), while other studies do not agree
Significant differences were observed across different BMD statuses for age, sex ratio, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, alcohol drinking status, mean total energy intake, mean Ca intake, and use of Ca supplements
Univariate analysis indicated that there was a significant association between phalangeal BMD and OA (p = 0.01)
Summary
Major reports have suggested that bone mineral density (BMD) is higher in patients with osteoarthritis (OA), while other studies do not agree. OA and OP are generally considered different diseases, they share several of the same risk factors, such as bone, cartilage metabolism, aging, sex, and timing of menopause [8,9,10,11,12]. These two common age-related disorders can cause impairment of activities of daily life and quality of life, leading to increased morbidity and mortality among the elderly
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