Targeting subchondral bone in osteoporotic osteoarthritis.

The identification of well-defined phenotypes along the course of the disease may open new avenues for personalized management in osteoarthritis (OA). In vivo research carried out in various animal models as well as epidemiological and clinical data support the existence of a particular phenotype - osteoporotic OA. In fact, subchondral bone has become a potential therapeutic target in OA. Depending on the ratio between formation and resorption, subchondral bone remodeling can culminate in either a sclerotic or an osteoporotic phenotype. Patients with osteoporotic OA may thus achieve clinical and structural benefit from treatment with bone-targeted interventions.