A simple blood test may be able to detect knee osteoarthritis in people who’ve yet to develop any symptoms — and up to eight years before an X-ray would be able to detect changes in their bones — scientists say.
In a new study, researchers analyzed the blood of 200 white women who had no symptoms of osteoarthritis when their blood was first sampled and were deemed “low-risk” of developing it. Their risk level was based on traditional risk factors, such as having a history of knee injury or a prior knee surgery.
They then analyzed the same people using the new test, which looked at proteins circulating in blood to predict people’s risk. As few as six bloodborne proteins could be used to accurately predict who would go on to develop knee osteoarthritis within 10 years, the researchers reported in a paper published Friday (April 26) in the journal Science Advances.
In some cases, the test could predict the disease up to eight years before an X-ray could detect signs of it. This is potentially a big improvement, as X-rays are currently the gold-standard diagnostic approach for osteoarthritis. The researchers say this early detection is important, because although there is no cure for the disease, there are preventative measures that can slow its progression. These include lifestyle factors such as engaging in low-impact exercise and maintaining a healthy weight, and taking medications that can relieve symptoms.
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Spotting osteoarthritis earlier might therefore act as a “wake-up call” for people to engage in these preventive therapies, Dr. Virginia Byers Kraus, lead study author and a professor of medicine at Duke University in North Carolina, told Live Science. This could help avert the development of downstream complications, such as pain, disability and the need for joint replacement, she said.
Someday, the findings could also help scientists develop new, more-effective preventative treatments for the disease, Kraus added. Such treatments might target the proteins in the blood that are associated with the condition, for instance.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, and it affects more than 32.5 million adults in the U.S. It was originally known as a “wear and tear” disease because it occurs when cartilage within a joint — usually in the hands, hips…
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