Osteoarthritis of the knee and its association with metabolic syndrome

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Keywords: metabolic syndrome, osteoarthritis, knee, gonarthrosis.

Abstract

Introduction: Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent arthritic joint disease and a leading cause of disability and joint pain worldwide, affecting nearly 37% of the US population over the age of 60.

Objective: To expose whether there is a relationship between metabolic syndrome and knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study of 118 patients, grouped into those with and without knee osteoarthritis, was conducted at the Rheumatology Service of the “Hermanos Ameijeiras” Hospital, between January 2017 and September 2019. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, and laboratory variables were collected. Knee osteoarthritis was defined according to the clinical and radiological criteria of the American College of Rheumatology, and metabolic syndrome according to the National Cholesterol Education Program - Adult Treatment Panel III criteria.

Results: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with knee osteoarthritis was 44.7 %, statistically higher than in patients without knee osteoarthritis (18.2 %) (p = 0.014). Other statistically more frequent variables in patients with knee osteoarthritis were hypertension (p = 0.003), abdominal circumference (p = 0.007), cholesterol (p = 0.011), blood glucose (p = 0.001), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (p = 0.021).

Conclusions: An association was found between metabolic syndrome and knee osteoarthritis. The presence of other factors such as abdominal obesity, cholesterol, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate further supports the idea that the disease has a chronic inflammatory component related to metabolic disorders. Controlling these disorders could prevent the early onset of the disease and influence its progression and prognosis.

 

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References

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Published

2026-09-14

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1.
Puente Carmona RD, Chico Capote A, Guerrero Barragán M, Hernán Estévez del Toro M, Casas Figueredo ND, Argüelles Zayas A del C. Osteoarthritis of the knee and its association with metabolic syndrome. Acta Médica [Internet]. 2026 Sep. 14 [cited 2026 Sep. 15];27. Available from: https://revactamedica.sld.cu/index.php/act/article/view/942

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Copyright (c) 2026 Rolando Dayan Puente Carmona, Araceli Chico Capote, Martha Guerrero Barragán, Miguel Hernán Estévez del Toro, Nelsa Dalmis Casas Figueredo, Ana del Carmen Argüelles Zayas

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