Meniscus Tear May Mean Arthritis

Heredity, Lifestyle Increase Risk for Painful Joint Problems

Feb. 5, 2004 -- You're playing tennis or football, twisting and pivoting, and it happens: a painful knee injury, called a meniscus tear. A new study suggests that this injury can be an early sign of osteoarthritis.

Both hereditary and lifestyle factors (like athletics) may put some people at high risk for meniscus tears and other painful problems related to osteoarthritis -- a gradual degeneration of cartilage and joints, reports lead researcher M. Englund, MD, with Lund University Hospital in Sweden, in the latest issue of the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.

Earlier studies have suggested that osteoarthritis in the hands may be a marker for osteoarthritis in the knees and elsewhere -- likely an inherited tendency, Englund explains.

To further explore that link, Englund and colleagues examined 170 patients who had surgery of the knee to repair a meniscus tear between 1973 and 1978. All agreed to have their hands X-rayed for signs of osteoarthritis.

Researchers found that 34% of patients did have osteoarthritis in their hands; most (84%) had it in both hands. They were older and had incurred more meniscus tears over the years than those who didn't have osteoarthritis.

The study's results indicate that people who develop hand osteoarthritis at an early age may have more frequent -- and worse -- knee injuries, as indicated by worse X-ray findings and meniscus tears later on, Englund writes.

Likewise, a meniscus tear may be an early sign of hereditary osteoarthritis, says Englund.

SOURCE: Englund, M. Arthritis & Rheumatism, February 2004; vol 50: pp 469-475.

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