OT: Estrogen-Osteoarthritis Connection --s Hopkins Health Alert

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Arthritis

The Estrogen-Osteoarthritis Connection

May is National Arthritis Awareness Month. It is hoped that this

observance will bring more awareness of this chronic and painful disease, which

affects approximtely 70 million men, women, and children.

Here at s Hopkins Health Alerts we are dedicated to providing timely

advice and information about osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis,

gout, lupus, fibromyalgia, and other arthritis-related conditions. This week's

Arthritis Health Alert looks at osteoarthritis and asks: Why do so many

middle-aged women develop osteoarthritis? Scientists believe that declining

estrogen levels may play a role.

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The Estrogen-Osteoarthritis Connection

Why do so many middle-aged women develop osteoarthritis? Scientists

believe that declining estrogen levels may play a role.

Osteoarthritis is often called a wear-and-tear disease because it

develops in joints after many years of use. Aging increases the risk of

developing osteoarthritis, but it's not the sole cause. Scientists aren't sure

exactly what causes the condition, but several factors play a role in its

development. These include genetic predisposition, obesity, prior joint

injuries, wear and tear on the joints due to repeated overuse or sports-related

activities, muscle weakness, and nerve injury.

Now a study reported in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism (Volume 54,

page 2481) suggests that low estrogen levels are linked to osteoarthritis of the

knee in middle-aged women.

Following up on findings from animal studies, researchers from the

University of Michigan measured the estrogen levels of more than 800

premenopausal and perimenopausal women. Based on these results, they ranked the

study participants into three groups according to their estrogen levels. The

women had yearly x-rays of both knees and answered questions about knee pain,

their general health, and various lifestyle factors.

After taking into account osteoarthritis risk factors such as body mass

index, the researchers found that women with the lowest estrogen levels were

nearly twice as likely to develop osteoarthritis over the next three years as

were those with higher levels.

These findings may help explain why signs of osteoarthritis tend to

appear when women are in their 40s, a time of fluctuating or declining estrogen

levels. The relationship between estrogen and osteoarthritis isn't clear.

However, the hormone is believed to interfere with arachidonic acid, a substance

in the body that is associated with pain and inflammation. The researchers

suggest that a better understanding of estrogen's apparent protective effect on

the knee may lead to new approaches to osteoarthritis management.