METABOLIC CORRELATES OF OBESITY AND RADIOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS - DATA FROM THE BALTIMORE LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF AGING

Objective, To examine the relationship between metabolic correlates of obesity and radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods. We includ ed 464 Caucasian men and 275 Caucasian women aged 40 years and above w ho were participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, Sub jects had bilateral anteroposte rior standing knee radiographs read fo r features of OA using Kellgren-Lawrence scales, Resting blood pressur e, fasting lipids, 2 h oral glucose tolerance test, and anthropometric measurements were obtained at the same visit as the knee radiograph. Metabolic correlates of obesity were compared between subjects with Ke llgren-Lawrence grade greater than or equal to 2 (definite knee OA) an d grade 0 (normal radiograph) by sex. Results, Both men and women with knee OA had higher unadjusted systolic blood pressure than those with normal knee radiographs; unadjusted measures of glucose metabolism an d lipids did not vary by presence of knee OA in men or women. After ad justment for age and obesity, systolic blood pressure did not vary by presence of knee OA in men. While women with knee OA did have higher a djusted mean systolic blood pressure than women with normal radiograph s (127 +/- 2.4 vs 120 +/- 2.2 mm Hg; p = 0.04), both values were withi n normal range. Unexpectedly, men with knee OA had lower adjusted mean 2 h glucose levels compared to men without OA (7.5 +/- 0.2 vs 8.4 +/- 0.2 mmol/l; p = 0.01). Other adjusted variables did not differ by pre sence of knee OA. Conclusion, These data do not support the hypothesis that metabolic correlates of obesity are independently associated wit h radiographic knee OA after adjustment for age and obesity.