Measuring a chemical found naturally in joints and around cartilage may aid early diagnosis of osteoarthritis, North Carolina researchers report.
Scientists found levels of hyaluronan or HA in the blood corresponded with how advanced osteoarthritis of the hip or knee was in a group of 753 subjects age 51 to 72. The results were the same for both black and white patients.
"Our study shows statistically significant differences in average levels of serum hyaluronan (HA) between individuals with osteoarthritis of the knee as shown on X rays and those without knee or hip osteoarthritis," said study director Dr. Joanne Jordan. "Serum HA levels not only were associated with the presence of osteoarthritis but also showed a trend of increasing values as severity of the disease increased."
Results of the research, which was conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and in Johnston County, N.C., appear in the January issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
