Year: 2013
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Obesity is a major risk factor of osteoarthritis development and progression. Theoretically, obesity is a factor that can be modified. While obesity epidemic is difficult to reverse because we live in lipogenic environment, personal approach in modify obesity may avail. Therefore, understanding how obesity leads to osteoarthritis is needed.\nThe first three chapters of this thesis investigate several aspects of osteoarthritis: what structures are damaged, what factors are associated with worsening of osteoarthritis and how to measure worsening of osteoarthritis.\nThe other four chapters investigate the link between obesity and osteoarthritis. \nWe show that obesity is associated with hand osteoarthritis. Since we do not walk on our hand, there must be another factor than mechanical that cause joint damage in osteoarthritis. One of the factors is adipokines, protein produced mainly by fat tissue. We showed that adiponectin, one of the adipokines, prevents worsening of hand osteoarthritis.\nWe concluded that obesity plays role in osteoarthritis not only due to added mechanical force but also due to added metabolic force (adipokines). These adipokines might be used as target in modifying the effect of obesity on osteoarthritis. However, we still need more studies on how obesity links with osteoarthritis
Author: Erlangga Yusuf
Language: English
Subfield: Rheumatology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2585721569