Association of cartilage degeneration with four year weight gain--3T MRI data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of weight gain on progression of early knee morphologic abnormalities using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a longitudinal study over 48 months.
DESIGN: We studied the right knee of 100 subjects from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), selecting subjects aged ≥ 45 with osteoarthritis (OA) risk factors who demonstrated weight gain (minimum 5% increase in body mass index, BMI, n = 50) or no change in weight (BMI change < 2%, n = 50), frequency matched for age, gender, and baseline BMI. Baseline and 48 month knee MRI studies were scored for lesions using a modified whole organ MRI score (WORMS). Logistic regression models were used to compare the differences between the two groups.
RESULTS: The odds of worsening maximum cartilage (11.3, 95%, CI 3.5-51.4) and meniscal WORMS (4.5, 95% CI 1.4-17.3) were significantly greater in the weight gain group compared to the no change group, in addition to the odds of worsening cartilage defects at the patella and average meniscal WORMS (P < 0.05). Odds of worsening average bone marrow edema pattern (BMEP) were significantly greater for the weight gain group compared to the no change cohort (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that weight gain is strongly associated with increased progression of cartilage degeneration in middle-aged individuals with risk factors for OA.