Osteoarthritis: new diagnostic test may help detect it earlier

Osteoarthritis is one of the 10 most disabling diseases in developed countries today, affecting nearly one in 10 men and one in five women aged over 60. In most cases, the joint disease is diagnosed only in an advanced stage, when a patient is in pain.

Earlier diagnosis might lead to better management and patient outcomes. A new fluorescent probe, devised by researchers from the Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts, could make the detection and monitoring of early stage osteoarthritis easier.

The fluorescent probe, reported in a study published in the February issue of , makes it easy to see the activities that lead to cartilage breakdown in the initial and moderate stages of osteoarthritis, which is needed for early detection and adequate monitoring of the disease.

"The imaging tests most frequently used, X-rays, don't indicate the level of pain or allow us to directly see the amount of cartilage loss, which is a challenge for physicians and patients," says Averi A. Leahy, co-lead author of the study.

An optical imaging system detects and measures the near infrared wavelengths emitted by the probe, giving doctors a non-invasive look inside the knee.

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, which causes pain, swelling, and reduced motion by breaking down the cartilage that normally covers the ends of our bones to absorb the shock of movement. It normally results from an injury, or long-term wear and tear of the hip, hands, or knees.