The Relationship between Osteoarthritis of the Knee and Bone Mineral Density of Proximal Femur: A Cross-Sectional Study from a Korean Population in Women

BACKGROUND: The relationship between osteoarthritis (OA) and osteoporosis (OP) is complicated and it may differ according to the site or stage of disease. The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to examine the relationship between the severity of radiological knee OA and the degree of OP in the ipsilateral proximal femur as denoted by bone mineral density (BMD) in a Korean population, especially among women. METHODS: One hundred ninety-five female patients who had knee pain and radiological knee OA were investigated with respect to the relationship of knee OA severity with BMD. The BMD of the proximal femur and spine was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, and the severity of knee OA was evaluated based on Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L) radiographic criteria, joint space narrowing (JSN) and mechanical axis of knee alignment. Partial correlation analysis and ANCOVA adjusted for confounding factors (age and body mass index) were performed to assess the relationship. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant relationship between the BMD of the proximal femur and JSN, and the BMD of the proximal femur was positively associated with increased joint space width. There was a lack of association between the spine BMD and JSN. The BMD of the proximal femur was also significantly lower in patients who had a higher K-L grade. CONCLUSIONS: The radiographic finding of severe OA in the knee is associated with decreased BMD of the ipsilateral proximal femur including the femoral neck, trochanter, intertrochanter, and region of the entire hip (neck, trochanter, and Ward's triangle).