Risk Factor Involved in Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA)

Clinical study regarding the incidence and severity of KOA in a certain area from South-Eastern Europe. Clinical study on 85 patients out 373 participants that were screened, chosen based on inclusion/exclusion criteria.

Aim of the clinical study: to determine the KOA grade through X-Ray studies, to perform nuclear magnetic resonance (NRM) analysis to assess the KOA severity. Data corroboration of the KOA degree with the results of the blood samples analysis, looking for the influence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) parameters - high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol, triglycerides, glycemia, and then the body mass index (BMI). In the meantime, there is intended to associate the environment of origin of the patients from the trial group with the KOA incidence and severity. To determine the level of significant parameters in the synovial liquid extracted from the patients presenting KOA, analysis of the degradation products present in the synovial fluid of patients with KOA, such as free radicals, like reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) and their influence on the severity of the pathology.

Inclusion criteria

• male and female with knee pain (complaints); presented symptoms and clinical signs corresponding to KOA and had knee X-rays in the anteroposterior view and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) performed for setting the diagnosis with unilateral or bilateral knee pain; patients with clinically determined and recorded values of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides and the glycemia in the clinical observation sheet.

Exclusion criteria

• patients presenting lower limb arthroplasties; history of lower limb or pelvis fractures and previous knee surgery: ligamentoplasty, meniscectomy; inflammatory rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid polyarthritis; other major conditions like malignant illness.