AIMS

To investigate the association between type II collagen fragments and the presence of knee osteoarthritis (OA) in the Tunisian population and to determine whether this biomarker can predict X-ray progression of this disease.

METHODS

Type II collagen C-telopeptide (uCTX-II) and helical peptide (sHelix-II) were assessed in 125 female patients with knee osteoarthritis aged 54 ± 8 years over 2 years and 57 female age-matched controls. The markers were measured at baseline, 1 and 2 yrs' follow-up corresponding to x-ray time points.

RESULTS

Only urinary CTX-II values were significantly 48% higher in knee OA patients compared with controls (p=0.001). The longitudinal changes over 2 yrs in Helix-II were also significantly associated with Joint Space Narrowing: JSN (p=0.03). Over the 2-yr study period average CTX-II levels were not significantly higher in progressor compared with non-progressor (339.96 vs 256.00; NS).

CONCLUSION

The data presented here suggest that CTX-II may be useful to identify patients with knee OA. These results demonstrate significantly association between progression of this disease and alterations levels of Helix-II.