Blood test could detect osteoarthritis in the knees eight years before it ... trends now
View
comments
A blood test could detect osteoarthritis in the knees up to eight years before it appears on X-rays – leading to hopes for a preventative treatment.
The condition – thought to affect more than five million people in the UK – occurs when cartilage in the knee joint breaks down, causing it to become painful and stiff.
The disease is usually not found until it has already caused structural damage to the joint.
Surgery has been the only option available for many, with more than 120,000 knee replacements performed in the UK each year.
But the new test, which can spot the condition years in advance, could provide a 'window of opportunity' to restore joint health.
A blood test could detect osteoarthritis in the knees up to eight years before it appears on X-rays – leading to hopes for a preventative treatment (stock image)
But the new test, which can spot the condition years in advance, could provide a 'window of opportunity' to restore joint health (stock image)
The disease is usually not found until it has already caused structural damage to the joint (stock image)
Professor Virginia Kraus, from Duke University School of Medicine, said: 'Currently, you've got to have an abnormal X-ray to show clear evidence of knee osteoarthritis,
