Women lose patella cartilage at a faster rate than men: A 4.5-year cohort study of subjects with knee OA

Brennan, Sharon L.; Cicuttini, Flavia M.; Shortreed, Susan; Forbes, Andrew; Jones, Graeme; Stuckey, Stephen L.; Wluka, Anita E.

doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2010.07.008

« Previous Next »Maturitas
Volume 67, Issue 3 , Pages 270-274, November 2010

Women lose patella cartilage at a faster rate than men: A 4.5-year cohort study of subjects with knee OA

Sharon L. Brennan
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Alfred Hospital, Commercial Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia
- Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Barwon Health, The University of Melbourne, PO Box 281, Geelong, 3220, Australia
Flavia M. Cicuttini
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Alfred Hospital, Commercial Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia
Susan Shortreed
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Alfred Hospital, Commercial Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia
- School of Computer Science, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Andrew Forbes
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Alfred Hospital, Commercial Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia
Graeme Jones
- Menzies Research Institute, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Stephen L. Stuckey
- Diagnostic Imaging, Southern Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Anita E. Wluka
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Alfred Hospital, Commercial Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia
- Corresponding author at: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Central and Eastern Clinical School, Alfred Hospital, Commercial Road, Melbourne, 3004 Victoria, Australia. Tel.: +61 3 9903 0994; fax: +61 3 9903 0556.

Received 31 January 2010; received in revised form 31 May 2010; accepted 15 July 2010. published online 02 August 2010.

Abstract

Objectives

Patellofemoral knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common disease, and a significant cause of knee pain, however few data have examined longitudinal change at the patellofemoral joint. The aim of this study was to examine factors affecting change in patella cartilage over a longer time period than previously examined.

Study design

Longitudinal study of 77 subjects (58% female) with knee OA underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with a repeat MRI of the same knee obtained approximately 4.5 years later.

Main outcome measures

Annual change in patella cartilage volume, and annual percentage change over 4.5 years.

Results

After adjusting for age, gender, BMI and patella bone volume at baseline, cartilage change was observed at the rate of 2.5% (95% confidence interval, 2.0, 3.0) per annum over 4.5 years. Cartilage was lost at a higher rate in women compared to men after accounting for age, BMI or bone volume at baseline (3.3% vs. 1.4%, respectively, p=0.03). Increased patella bone volume was associated with increased patella cartilage loss (p=0.02). No measures of radiographic severity of disease affected change in cartilage volume.

Conclusions

The increased rate of cartilage loss in women may contribute to the increased prevalence of disease, although the underlying mechanism requires further study. Increased patella bone volume was also associated with increased patella cartilage loss. Whether this is due to biomechanical factors will need to be determined.

Keywords: Patella, Cartilage, Progression, Patellofemoral osteoarthritis, Gender