New UK study reveals fresh insight into how osteoarthritis develops

Scientists in the UK have made a new discovery regarding the biological processes that cause the development of osteoarthritis.

Published in the Journal of Anatomy, the study from Liverpool University and Queen Mary University of London has found a natural material in the hip joints of osteoarthritis patients that contributes to a previously unknown mechanism of cartilage damage.

The team examined the hip of a man suffering from a rare genetic condition called alkaptonuria, which is characterised by an accumulation of homogentisic acid that causes changes to joint cartilage.

It was found that the joints contained high-density mineralised protrusions (HDMP) - an occurrence previously thought to only occur in horses - that occupied the cracks in joint cartilage, before breaking off and grinding against the healthy tissue.

Subsequently, HDMP was discovered in eight sample hips donated by osteoarthritis patients for research purposes. It means that this process could be one of the underlying mechanisms behind the joint degradation that causes pain and disability in osteoarthritis patients.

Study leader Professor Jim Gallagher of Liverpool University's Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease told the Daily Express: "We have discovered a previously unrecognised mechanism of cartilage destruction in human hip joints. This discovery could certainly lead to new treatments."

He added: "Studying a rare illness like alkaptonuria is a worthwhile project in itself, but it can also help with new insights into much more common diseases."

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis in the UK, with an estimated one million people consulting their GPs about the condition on an annual basis.

An Arthritis Research UK spokeswoman said: "There are more than eight million people living with chronic pain and fatigue caused by osteoarthritis in the UK every day. Although there's no cure for osteoarthritis yet, exercise and other treatments can help reduce pain.

"We were excited to hear about the research developments in Professor Jim Gallagher's lab. New findings that show brittle protrusions develop on the bones of people with osteoarthritis shines a light on the processes that cause arthritis and initiate joint damage. We are hopeful that understanding the processes causing the disease will ultimately lead us towards new treatments for osteoarthritis - and, in the future, a cure for this painful and debilitating disease.

"One clear message from the research is that there is value in researching these rarer disorders as they can reveal insights into other more common diseases. This provides hope for people living with the pain of osteoarthritis in the UK, as well as other rarer conditions."