22 Apr Osteoarthritis Raises Risk of Cardiovascular Death

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Nicola Veronese

Nicola Veronese, MD
University of Padova
Department of Medicine (DIMED)-Geriatrics Section
Padova, Italy

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Dr. Veronese: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common rheumatic disease. Although an increasing research is showing that OA, particularly of lower limbs, is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) the association with overall mortality seems to be less clear.

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

Dr. Veronese: In our research including an original cohort study and other six studies for more than 25,000 participants (OA: 10,018/non-OA: 18,541), OA seems not to confer any increased risk of overall mortality over 12 years of follow-up. However, after removing data on hand OA, OA increased the risk of mortality of about 18%. On the contrary, osteoarthritis was associated with significantly higher CVD mortality (HR=1.21; 95% CI: 1.10–1.34).

MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Veronese: Our research shows that people with osteoarthritis are at increased risk of death due to CVD, while the relationship with overall mortality is less clear. We believe that these findings could be of importance for the clinicians and patients since OA significantly increases the risk of CVD death, the main reason of death in industrialized countries.

It is noteworthy that CVD death is highly predictable if appropriate interventions are made. Regarding overall mortality, hand OA could be of importance in explaining the lack of association between OA and mortality. The exact reason is not known and future studies are needed in better explaining the association between OA and mortality, with a particular focus on hand osteoarthritis.

Citation:

Veronese N, et al Osteoarthritis and mortality: a prospective cohort study and systematic review with meta-analysis” Sem Arthritis Rheum 2016; DOI: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2016.04.002.

Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.

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Last Updated on April 23, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD