The Immune System Plays a Role in Osteoarthritic Pain

The link between immune function and osteoarthritic pain and progression has been identified by recent research at the McMaster University.

The amount of pain and disease progression experienced in osteoarthritis is determined by the immune system. Recent research at the McMaster University found the association between immune function and osteoarthritis.

This discovery could lead to new strategies for improving joint pain management and immune function in older adults with arthritis.

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‘Targeting monocytes in osteoarthritis may help slow down disease progression or decrease the risk of other chronic inflammatory diseases.’

The study found that monocytes, the white blood cells necessary to regulate immune responses, were more activated and pro-inflammatory in women with osteoarthritis, and that elevated inflammation and body mass index were associated with this increased activation.

When compared with a control group, this combination created a perfect storm - one that was found to increase the pain and progression of knee osteoarthritis. The study involved 22 women with osteoarthritis, and 22 women of the same age without osteoarthritis.

"It is the first study, to our knowledge, to specifically characterize changes in circulating monocytes in individuals with osteoarthritis compared to healthy women," said senior author Dawn Bowdish, a professor of pathology and molecular medicine at McMaster, and member of the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging.

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"We know that changes in monocytes contribute to the development of chronic inflammatory conditions. If we can target these monocytes in osteoarthritis, we may be able to slow down disease progression or decrease the risk of other chronic inflammatory diseases," she said.

Chronic inflammation and osteoarthritis have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and depression among adults with osteoarthritis. While the cause of osteoarthritis remains unknown, multiple factors contribute to its risk, progression and severity.

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"We believe these findings are completely novel in the literature about the knees and osteoarthritis," said senior author Monica Maly, an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo who was involved in the research while an associate professor of McMaster's School of Rehabilitation Sciences. "It will form the basis for ongoing collaboration to explore this phenomenon in a larger sample."

The researchers intend to take this knowledge and apply it to better understanding the impact of exercise on the health of older adults with osteoarthritis.

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The Arthritis Alliance of Canada has reported that effective strategies for managing osteoarthritis-related pain, specifically in the workplace, would result in savings of $488 billion over the next 25 years.

The complete study is published in the medical journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage.

Source-Eurekalert