title: Metabolic health in families enriched for longevity is associated with low prevalence of hand osteoarthritis and influences OA biomarker profiles.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Individual metabolic characteristics and age-related changes may affect osteoarthritis (OA) risk as well as levels of potential OA biomarkers such as serum cartilage oligomeric protein (sCOMP) and urinary cross-linked C-telopeptide of type 2 collagen (uCTX2). We investigated hand OA and these putative OA biomarker characteristics at different ages in individuals with a propensity for healthy ageing, in controls, and in patients with OA.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated hand radiological OA (ROA) and levels of sCOMP and uCTX2 in the Leiden Longevity Study, which consisted of the middle-aged offspring of long-lived sibling pairs as metabolically healthy agers and their partners as controls, and for ROA we compared patients with OA at multiple joint sites from the Genetics, osteoARthritis and Progression Study with the healthy agers and controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hand ROA mean scores were lower in the healthy agers than in controls. Lower hand ROA scores at higher ages were observed in healthy agers with low glucose levels. Furthermore, in healthy agers, a higher mean sCOMP level was observed than in controls. All study groups had higher sCOMP levels at higher chronological age. Likewise, uCTX2 levels were higher at higher chronological age in the controls and patients with OA, which was not observed in the healthy agers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Metabolic health in middle age is associated with less ROA and influences putative OA marker profiles, independently of chronological age. When used as OA biomarkers, it is relevant that independently of hand ROA status, uCTX2 is influenced by healthy metabolism and sCOMP is higher at higher chronological age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Steffan Daniël
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Bos
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beekman
authors.forename: Andrea B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: Morton A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Karsdal
authors.forename: Wing-Yee
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Kwok
authors.forename: Anne Christine
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Bay-Jensen
authors.forename: Margreet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kloppenburg
authors.forename: P Eline
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Slagboom
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Meulenbelt
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D024043:Collagen Type II / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D050823:Hand Joints / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008136:Longevity / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D064235:Matrilin Proteins / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000652:urine; D011859:Radiography
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose; D024043:Collagen Type II; D064235:Matrilin Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C543437:collagen II C-telopeptide
keywords: Epidemiology; Hand Osteoarthritis; Osteoarthritis