Does Obesity Affect Patellar Cartilage?

High body mass index (BMI) and body weight appear to be associated with worse patellar cartilage scores and cartilage loss, according to a recent systematic review.

The review included 17 studies from MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases that assessed the associations between obesity and body composition and patellar cartilage, 5 of which were cross-sectional, 10 were cohort studies that measured outcomes at 2 timepoints, and 2 were longitudinal studies that assessed outcomes only at the timepoint. Of these studies, 11 were determined to be of high or moderate quality.
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Elevated body weight and BMI were systematically associated with worse patellofemoral cartilage scores among asymptomatic middle-aged adults. The evidence was more consistent for patellar cartilage defects than patellar cartilage volume, particularly in women, according to the researchers.

In addition, increased BMI was consistently associated with increased cartilage loss in longitudinal studies, but this did not attain statistical significance.

“There is a need for more high-quality research to confirm these findings and to better explain the relative contributions of metabolic and biomechanical factors to the initiation of patellofemoral osteoarthritis, to devise effective strategies to manage this common and disabling condition,” the researchers concluded.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Hussain SM, Tan MC, Stathakopoulos K, et al. How are obesity and body composition related to patellar cartilage? A systematic review [published online July 1, 2017]. J Rheumatol. https://doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.151384