To study risk factors of knee joint osteoarthrosis (KJO) progression within 5 years since the disease onset.
We examined 158 females with primary KJO (by ACR criteria). Each patient's record contained demographic and disease history information, pain score in the knee joints by visual analog scale and joint status. All the patients have undergone standard rhoentgenography of the knee joints in two projections and two-energy x-ray densitometry of the lumbar spine, the neck of the femur (NF), subchondral condyles of the femur and of the tibia.
We found factors promoting rapid progression of gonarthrosis within the first 5 years of the disease: high body mass index and mineral bone density (MBD) in subchondral parts of the tibia, low MBD in NF and bone marrow edema in the tibia.
We revealed factors contributing to rapid progression of gonarthrosis in initial disease. MBD of the axial skeleton and subchondral MBD among them. Using established variables it is possible to distinguish a cohort ofpatients with initial signs of OA who need earlier treatment. This is of practical inmportance and can improve the disease prognosis.