WASHINGTON , Nov. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Women with knee osteoarthritis (OA) experience more pain and inflammation than men, according to a new study led by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and The Rockefeller University . The work indicates that different genes and biological processes may cause knee OA to be worse in women compared to men and suggests that women may benefit from personalized treatments that target those specific mechanisms.
"These findings give some reassurance to female patients that there are physiological reasons why they are having more pain," says Bella Mehta , MBBS, MS , rheumatologist at HSS and lead author of the study. "Our work may also help us develop better therapies, especially for women with more severe symptoms." The study enrolled 135 patients with knee OA who were scheduled to have total knee replacement.
A total of 82 participants were female. Researchers analyzed patient-reported symptoms of pain, histology (tissue samples removed during surgery and examined under the microscope) and genetic markers of inflammation in the blood. The study found that women with knee OA had higher markers of inflammation in their blood, increased tissue inflammation and widespread cartilage loss.
This corresponds with the study's findings that women reported higher levels of pain, even at night when at rest. The findings also revealed specific genetic expression patterns in women that notably increased synovial tissue inflammation. This o.