Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 10 authors, 13 centres
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In a 2-year prospective cohort study of 176 people with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, greater popliteal artery wall thickness, a marker of atherosclerosis, was associated with lower baseline cartilage volume and an increased rate of medial tibial cartilage loss.
This prospective cohort study analyzed 176 participants from a randomized trial to examine the association between popliteal artery wall thickness and knee cartilage changes. At baseline, a 10% increase in popliteal artery wall thickness was associated with lower medial and lateral tibial cartilage volume. Over a mean follow-up of 2.1 years, a 10% increase in artery wall thickness was associated with a 1.14% increase in the annual rate of medial tibial cartilage volume loss and a 2.28-fold increased risk of rapid progression of medial cartilage loss, after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, and other factors. The authors suggest a potential mechanism involving reduced blood flow to the joint. Limitations include the measurement of artery wall thickness on a single MRI slice and a moderate sample size.
