Risk factors for cardiovascular disease and future osteoarthritis-related arthroplasty: a population-based cohort study in men and women from Malmö, Sweden

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the hypothesis that cardiovascular risk factors increase the likelihood of future osteoarthritis (OA)-related arthroplasty in adult men and women. METHODS: Baseline cohort data on cardiovascular risk factors [age, socio-economic class, family history, obesity, smoking, glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure, and early cardiovascular disease (CVD) history] were linked to clinical registers of OA-related arthroplasty data. The study included 8749 women and 14 821 men with up to a 30-year follow-up. RESULTS: In women, higher cardiovascular risk groups were more likely to have an OA outcome compared to the lowest risk quartile group (trend p < 0.001). The estimates were as follows: second quartile risk: rate ratio (RR) 2.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6-2.9, third quartile risk: 3.32 (2.5-4.5); and highest risk quartile: 3.47 (2.6-4.7). In men, higher cardiovascular risk groups were also more likely to have an OA outcome compared to the lowest risk quartile group (trend p = 0.001). The estimates were as follows: second quartile risk: RR 1.44, 95% CI 1.1-1.9; third quartile risk: 1.38 (1.1-1.8); and highest risk quartile: 1.67 (1.3-2.2). CONCLUSIONS: Our large cohort study with up to a 30-year follow-up period provides evidence to support the hypothesis of shared risk factors in CVD and OA, and the findings suggest an alternative aetiological process in the pathogenesis of OA.