Possible Marker for Osteoarthritis Found

TUESDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDayNews) -- Scientists have identified a possible biomarker to predict osteoarthritis (OA), says a study in the January issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.

The study of blood samples from 753 white and black American men and women found a strong association between high levels of hyaluronic acid and severe knee and hip arthritis. Hyaluronic acid is a component of connective tissue that''s widely distributed throughout the body and plays an important role in joint function.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University Medical Center found that hyaluronic acid levels were higher in people with more severe OA and with OA in more than one joint.

The study found no independent links between high hyaluronic acid levels and other health problems seen in the OA patients, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, chronic pulmonary disease, or persistent liver, kidney, prostate or bladder conditions.

Gout was the only condition that showed a sustained independent association with elevated hyaluronic acid (HA) levels. Like osteoarthritis, gout causes joint inflammation and damage.

"The results of this study suggest that serum HA measurements are useful for assessing overall OA load. The lack of independent associations of serum HA levels with several comorbid conditions commonly associated with OA further supports its promise in the study of OA," study co-author Dr. Alan L. Elliott, of the Thurston Arthritis Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said in a prepared statement.

It''s hoped that early identification and intervention can improve outcomes for people with OA, a common cause of pain and disability among older Americans. Knee OA affects up to 6 percent of older Americans and hip OA affects about another 3 percent.

More information

The Arthritis Foundation has more about osteoarthritis.

-- Robert Preidt

SOURCE: John Wiley & Sons Inc., news release, Jan. 7, 2004