title: Identifying and treating preclinical and early osteoarthritis.
abstract: Studies suggest that many persons with painful osteoarthritis already have extensive structural disease including malalignment, which may preclude successful stabilization or reversal of disease; this provides a strong rationale for developing strategies to prevent disease or to identify and treat it early. This article reviews a variety of approaches likely to capture those at high risk of or with early disease. However, given the absence of effective treatments, it is unclear whether structural disease could be successfully slowed or prevented in those with early symptoms or at high risk of disease.
authors.affiliation: Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Suite 200, 650 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA; University of Manchester, Stopford Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK; Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA; NIHR Biomedical Research Unit, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. Electronic address: dfelson@bu.edu.
authors.forename: David T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Felson
authors.affiliation: Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA; NIHR Biomedical Research Unit, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hodgson
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D018450:Disease Progression; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D057925:Femoracetabular Impingement / Q000453:epidemiology; D006618:Hip Dislocation, Congenital / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Biomarkers; Knee pain; Magnetic resonance imaging; Osteoarthritis