LAS VEGAS – Knee osteoarthritis was independently associated with increased risk of premature mortality in the largest-ever meta-analysis to examine the issue, Kirsten M. Leyland, PhD, reported at the World Congress on Osteoarthritis.
The meta-analysis used individual patient-level data on 11,954 participants in six prospective observational cohort studies conducted in four countries. The key finding: Subjects with symptomatic and radiographically confirmed knee OA were at 17% greater risk of premature mortality, compared with pain-free, radiographically negative participants, independent of age, sex, and race, according to Dr. Leyland, a musculoskeletal epidemiologist at the University of Oxford (England).
Bruce Jancin/Frontline Medical News
Dr. Kirsten M. Leyland
The six prospective cohort studies included in the new analysis are well known in the field of osteoarthritis research: the Framingham (Mass.) Osteoarthritis Study, the Rotterdam (the Netherlands) Study, the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study (MOST), the Johnston County (N.C.) Osteoarthritis Project, the Tasmanian Older Adult Cohort Study, and the Chingford (U.K.) 1000 Women Study. These studies feature 7.4-23.7 years of prospective follow-up.
In an interview, Dr. Leyland said that the current analysis uses all-cause mortality as the outcome because causes of death are recorded differently in the countries where the studies are taking place. It will take several more years for statisticians to harmonize the cause-of-death data and draw definitive conclusions; however, preliminary analysis suggests the causes of premature mortality in the knee OA patients are disproportionately cardiovascular, she added.
Dr. Leyland reported having no financial conflicts regarding the study, which was supported by Arthritis Research UK.