title: Evidence that meniscus damage may be a component of osteoarthritis: the Framingham study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The etiology of degenerative meniscus tear is unclear but could be related to a generalized osteoarthritic disease process. We studied whether radiographic hand osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with meniscus damage.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined 974 persons aged 50-90 years drawn via census tract data and random-digit dialing from Framingham, Massachusetts, United States. One reader assessed bilateral hand radiographs (30 joints) and another read frontal knee radiographs, all according to the Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) scale. A third reader assessed right knee 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans for meniscus damage. We calculated the prevalence of medial and/or lateral meniscus damage in those with one to two and three or more finger joints with radiographic OA (KL grade ≥2) compared to those without radiographic hand OA with adjustment for age, sex, and body mass index. We also evaluated the above association in persons without evidence of radiographic OA (KL grade 0) in their knee (n = 748).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of meniscus damage in the knee of subjects with no, one to two, and three or more finger joints with OA was 24.9%, 31.7%, and 47.2%, respectively. The adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) of having meniscus damage was significantly increased in those who had three or more finger joints with OA (1.40 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11-1.77]). The estimate remained similar in persons without evidence of radiographic OA in their knee (PR, 1.42 [95% CI 1.03-1.97]). The association was more robust for medial meniscus damage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggest a common non-age related etiologic pathway for both radiographic hand OA and meniscus damage.
authors: Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Orthopaedics, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Clinical Epidemiology Research & Training Unit, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: martin.englund@med.lu.se.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Englund
authors: Department of Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: haugen_ida@hotmail.com.
authors: I K
authors: IK
authors: Haugen
authors: Department of Radiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: ali.guermazi@bmc.org.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Guermazi
authors: Department of Radiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany. Electronic address: Frank.Roemer@klinikum-augsburg.de.
authors: F W
authors: FW
authors: Roemer
authors: Clinical Epidemiology Research & Training Unit, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: niujp@bu.edu.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Niu
authors: Clinical Epidemiology Research & Training Unit, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: tneogi@bu.edu.
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Neogi
authors: Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: paliabadi@partners.org.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Aliabadi
authors: Clinical Epidemiology Research & Training Unit, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: dfelson@bu.edu.
authors: D T
authors: DT
authors: Felson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D050823:Hand Joints / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008592:Menisci, Tibial / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D011859:Radiography; D000070600:Tibial Meniscus Injuries; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Hand; Knee; Magnetic resonance imaging; Meniscus; Osteoarthritis; Radiography