Association between vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 and radiographic hand osteoarthritis

Background. A recent study showed that the level of soluble Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule 1 (VCAM-1) emerged as a strong and independent predictor of the risk of hip and knee joint replacement due to severe osteoarthritis (OA). Therefore, we hypothesized that soluble VCAM-1 level can be associated with prevalence and severity of radiographic hand OA. Objective. To evaluate the association between soluble VCAM-1, and radiographic hand OA in a large community-based sample. Methods. The study population comprised Chuvashians (473 males age 45.90±17.16; and 451 females, age 46.18±16.70 years). OA was evaluated for 14 joints of each hand using Kellgren and Lawrence (K-L). OA was characterised by the number of affected joints and by the presence of at least one affected joint. The VCAM-1 level was determined by a sandwich enzyme immunoassay technique using ELISA-OSTEO kit. Statistical analyses included multiple linear and logistic regressions. Results. The linear regression model showed a significant association of a number of affected joints with VCAM-1 level (p=0.004) after adjustment for age, sex, BMI. In the logistic regression model the level of association between the presence of at least one affected joint and soluble VCAM-1 level was p=0.070 (OR(95%CI): 1.003 (1.000, 1.007)). Conclusions. In this cross-sectional population-based study, we found that the serum level of soluble VCAM-1 level is positively associated with the number of affected joints of hand OA.