Conclusion: An impaired glucose metabolism does not seem be related to OA. In men, an association was observed for fasting glucose concentrations and hand OA. Future studies should investigate the... Show moreConclusion: An impaired glucose metabolism does not seem be related to OA. In men, an association was observed for fasting glucose concentrations and hand OA. Future studies should investigate the presence of sex differences in the pathogenesis of hand OA. (C) 2016 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Show less
Conclusions: Assessment of progression in hand OA defined by JSW measurements is possible, but performs less well than progression defined by JSN scoring. Therefore, the value of JSW measurements... Show moreConclusions: Assessment of progression in hand OA defined by JSW measurements is possible, but performs less well than progression defined by JSN scoring. Therefore, the value of JSW measurements in hand OA clinical trials remains questionable. (C) 2016 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Show less
The pathogenesis of OA is largely unknown; however, several risk factors are known to contribute to disease development. Treatment modalities are currently limited to alleviation of symptoms. In... Show moreThe pathogenesis of OA is largely unknown; however, several risk factors are known to contribute to disease development. Treatment modalities are currently limited to alleviation of symptoms. In order to develop better treatment modalities, increase of the understanding of the underlying mechanisms leading to OA development may provide targets for disease modification. Furthermore, knowledge regarding appropriate outcome measures that can be applied in OA research has to be increased for adequate assessment of potential treatment effects. Therefore, part I of this thesis describes studies aiming to increase the understanding of mechanisms underlying the association between known risk factors and OA, especially focussing on obesity in relation to OA in weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing joints. Furthermore, it was investigated which specific structural abnormalities on specific locations within the knee joint could best discriminate presence of symptomatic OA, and impact of knee OA and its modifiable or preventable risk on health-related quality of life was evaluated. Part II of this thesis describes two systematic reviews, assessing available instruments for measurement of the domains pain, physical function, patient global assessment and imaging in hand OA in order to enable recommendations for use in clinical trials. Show less
Conclusion: Baseline structural damage and bone turnover activity, as reflected by BMLs, seem to be involved in knee OA progression. Moreover, progression in PFJ and TFJ seems to be related. (C)... Show moreConclusion: Baseline structural damage and bone turnover activity, as reflected by BMLs, seem to be involved in knee OA progression. Moreover, progression in PFJ and TFJ seems to be related. (C) 2015 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Show less
