In this issue of the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases the editorial discusses the evidence that supports OA as not just a cartilage disease. They suggest that the aetiology and progression of osteoarthritis should not be thought of as being invariably attributable to a single tissue, such as articular cartilage, but as possibly due to disease in any of the tissues of the affected joint including the subchondral bone, synovium, capsule, periarticular muscles, supporting ligaments, sensory nerve endings and meniscus. They go on to discuss these in turn and conclude that it makes more sense to direct attention to the correction of the underlying mechanical abnormality than to the development of pharmacological or biological agents in considering disease-modifying treatment for osteoarthritis.
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2006;65:1261-1264