thesis
Osteoarthritis: pathogenesis and therapeutic interventions for a whole joint disease
- Publication date
- 3 June 2015
- Publisher
- __Abstract__
Osteoarthritis (OA) is an invalidating disease characterized by progressive cartilage
degradation. OA is the most prevalent arthritic disease and leading cause of disability that
effects approximately 34% of the population in the United states over age 65. Also in the
Netherlands, approximately 30% of persons aged 65 and older are affected in either the
hip or knee joint by this severely disabling disease. Due to the obvious cartilage pathology,
research has much focused on articular cartilage and chondrocyte pathobiology. Over the years
more knowledge has been gained on complex biochemical and biomechanical influences of
chondrocyte behavior. During the past decade, however, pathologic cellular and structural
changes in subchondral and trabecular bone, ligaments, synovium, supporting musculature,
fibrocartilagenous structures such as the meniscus, and intra-articular fat tissue support the
idea that osteoarthritis is not just a cartilage problem. In the current dogma, OA is explained as
‘a whole joint disease’ that involves a degenerative continuum between multiple joint tissues
and cell types.