title: Vitamin K deficiency is associated with incident knee osteoarthritis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, with knee osteoarthritis being the leading cause of lower extremity disability among older adults in the US. There are no treatments available to prevent the structural pathology of osteoarthritis. Because of vitamin K's role in regulating skeletal mineralization, it has potential to be a preventative option for osteoarthritis. We therefore examined the relation of vitamin K to new-onset radiographic knee osteoarthritis and early osteoarthritis changes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects from the Multicenter Osteoarthritis (MOST) Study had knee radiographs and MRI scans obtained at baseline and 30 months later, and plasma phylloquinone (vitamin K) measured at baseline. We examined the relationship of subclinical vitamin K deficiency to incident radiographic knee osteoarthritis and MRI-based cartilage lesions and osteophytes, respectively, using log binomial regression with generalized estimating equations, adjusting for potential confounders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 1180 participants (62% women, mean age 62±8 years, mean body mass index 30.1±5.1 kg/m(2)), subclinical vitamin K deficiency was associated with incident radiographic knee osteoarthritis (risk ratio [RR] 1.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08-2.25) and cartilage lesions (RR 2.39; 95% CI, 1.05-5.40) compared with no deficiency, but not with osteophytes (RR 2.35; 95% CI, 0.54-10.13). Subclinically vitamin K-deficient subjects were more likely to develop osteoarthritis in one or both knees than neither knee (RR 1.33; 95% CI, 1.01-1.75 and RR 2.12; 95% CI, 1.06-4.24, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the first such longitudinal study, subclinical vitamin K deficiency was associated with increased risk of developing radiographic knee osteoarthritis and MRI-based cartilage lesions. Further study of vitamin K is warranted given its therapeutic/prophylactic potential for osteoarthritis.
authors: Boston University School of Medicine, Mass, USA. devyani.misra@BMC.org
authors: Devyani
authors: D
authors: Misra
authors: Sarah L
authors: SL
authors: Booth
authors: Irina
authors: I
authors: Tolstykh
authors: David T
authors: DT
authors: Felson
authors: Michael C
authors: MC
authors: Nevitt
authors: Cora E
authors: CE
authors: Lewis
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Torner
authors: Tuhina
authors: T
authors: Neogi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D011859:Radiography; D014812:Vitamin K / Q000097:blood; D014813:Vitamin K Deficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D014812:Vitamin K