Researchers develop new test for early osteoarthritis diagnosis

Diagnosing osteoarthritis often occurs in the late stages when cartilage degradation is severe, making it difficult to distinguish it from other types of arthritis and to determine the best treatment plan.

In work published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research, investigators have developed and tested a new diagnostic test that uses two markers found in the synovial fluid of patients’ joints.

After assessing levels of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein and interleukin‐8, the team came up with an algorithm based on the ratio of these two markers and validated its efficacy in differentiating osteoarthritis from inflammatory arthritis in 171 human knee synovial fluid specimens.

“This study addresses an unmet need for objective diagnosis of osteoarthritis to improve clinical decision-making and patient outcomes,” said corresponding author Daniel Keter, BA, of CD Diagnostics, A Division of Zimmer Biomet.