Brief report
A positive association of smoking and articular knee joint cartilage in healthy people1

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2006.12.005Get rights and content
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Summary

Objective

To determine whether smoking affects knee cartilage in healthy adults by examining the association of tobacco use with tibial cartilage volume and tibiofemoral cartilage defects.

Methods

Two hundred and ninety-seven healthy adult subjects were recruited from an existing cohort examining healthy aging, the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study (MCCS). Questionnaire data were obtained at recruitment to the MCCS in 1990–1994 and at magnetic resonance imaging to determine cartilage outcomes in 2003.

Results

Tibial cartilage volume was positively associated with subjects who ever smoked as well as pack-years smoked, suggesting a dose–response. There was no association between smoking and presence of tibiofemoral cartilage defects.

Conclusion

Our findings demonstrate that smoking is associated with increased tibial cartilage volume but not presence of tibiofemoral cartilage defects, providing further support for a beneficial effect on articular knee cartilage.

Key words

Osteoarthritis
Cartilage
Smoking

Cited by (0)

1

Grant support: This study was funded by grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council (209057) and project grants from NHMRC (project grant 334150), Colonial Foundation and Shepherd Foundation. Dr Wang is the recipient of an NHMRC Ph.D. Scholarship. Dr Wluka is the recipient of an NHMRC Public Health Fellowship and co-recipient of the Cottrell Fellowship, Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

a

Joint first author.