Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is an increasingly common, invalidating joint disease that often affects the hips, knees and hands, although other joints are also susceptible. The symptoms include pain, structural damage and loss of function, often accompanied by inflammation. There are currently no curative treatment approaches and symptomatic treatment is often inadequate. This programme, together with the department of Rheumatology, aims at understanding the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis to develop better

Overview

The research aims to achieve the goal of better treatment options through three sub-aims:

  • Studies regarding risk factors and mechanisms for the development and progression of osteoarthritis.
  • Studies regarding the instruments used to monitor disease progression, including the development and testing of new instruments.

Studies regarding the efficacy of (new) interventions in patients with osteoarthritis

…

Overview

The research aims to achieve the goal of better treatment options through three sub-aims:

  • Studies regarding risk factors and mechanisms for the development and progression of osteoarthritis.
  • Studies regarding the instruments used to monitor disease progression, including the development and testing of new instruments.

Studies regarding the efficacy of (new) interventions in patients with osteoarthritis

Projects

These aims are being achieved through various research projects.

The most recent finished project is the HOPE study, an interventional study investigating the effect of prednisolone in patients with inflammatory hand osteoarthritis. This study showed that a significant pain reduction can be achieved, but not in all patients. This finding has led to two new projects, the SensOA and PROAP studies. The SensOA is an observational study investigating the types of pain that occur in hand osteoarthritis, to allow for a tailored pain treatment. The PROAP study is an interventional trial assessing the effect of transcutaneous pulsed radiofrequency as a possible new pain treatment.

Simultaneously the HOSTAS study is ongoing. The HOSTAS is an observational cohort of primary hand osteoarthritis patients, followed for 8 years. Various analyses have already been performed and are being planned, including investigations of risk factors for occurrence and progression of hand osteoarthritis measured in function, pain and radiographic damage, studies regarding care usage, and an analysis of the financial impact of hand osteoarthritis.

Apart from these studies, the re is frequently participation in multicenter or multinational cohorts, such as the recent APPROACH study. This consortium intends to prospectively describe patients with knee osteoarthritis using clinical, imaging and biochemical markers.

Researchers on Osteoarthritis

  • Prof. Dr M. Kloppenburg