Joint-adjacent subcutaneous adipose tissue — an obesity-related imaging biomarker associated with structural osteoarthritis progression?

Weight loss interventions, such as the combination of diet and exercise, have been shown to have beneficial effects on pain and function in OA patients,1 with most guidelines for the non-pharmacological treatment of osteoarthritis therefore recommending weight loss for overweight or obese patients with knee OA.2 Numerous studies have also investigated the impact of a change in body weight on structural outcome measures, with a recent systematic review reporting weight gain to be associated not only with clinical outcomes, such as pain and susceptibility to total knee replacement, but also with structural outcomes, such as impacts on articular cartilage and other joint tissues.
Source: Osteoarthritis and Cartilage - Category: Rheumatology Authors: Tags: Editorial Source Type: research