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Hand OA associated with fat percentage, distribution
Hand osteoarthritis was associated with fat percentage, fat mass and waist–hip ratio, according to recent study results.
Researchers studied 5,315 participants (median age, 56 years; 53% women; median BMI, 29.9 kg/m2) enrolled in the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity study. Bioelectrical impedance was used to estimate fat percentage and fat mass (FM), and waist–hip ratio (WHR) was determined.
Abdominal MR imaging was used to determine viseral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) in a random subset of 1,721 participants (46% women). American College of Rheumatology criteria were used to define hand osteoarthritis (OA).
In the full study population, 7.6% of men and 20% of women had hand OA, which was associated with fat percentage in men (OR=1.34; 95% CI, 1.11-1.61) and women (OR=1.26; 95% CI, 1.05-1.51) and FM (men, OR=1.24; 95% CI, 1.05-1.47; women, OR=1.22; 95% CI, 1.07-1.39). Men had a greater association between WHR and hand OA (OR=1.45; 95% CI, 1.13-1.85) compared with women (OR=1.17; 95% CI, 1-1.36).
VAT had a greater association with hand OA (OR=1.33; 95% CI, 1.01-1.75) among men compared with women (OR=1.1; 95% CI, 0.85-1.44) in subgroup analysis. When adjusted for FM, the association for men became greater (OR=1.51; 95% CI, 1.13-2.03).
“This study showed that the amount of adipose tissue and its distribution are of importance in hand OA,” the researchers wrote. “Assessment of abdominal distribution of adipose tissue showed an association between VAT and hand OA in men, suggesting involvement of visceral fat in hand OA.
“More research is necessary to gain more insight into the role of adipose tissue in OA, aiming at abdominal fat distribution and secretion of cytokines in relation to OA.”
Disclosure: The researcher report no relevant financial disclosures.