Ma Weiwei, Chen Honggu, Deng Jing, Yuan Qipeng, Li Huanan
Clinical Medical College, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, China.
Orthopaedics Department, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Taizhou, China.
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2025 May 8;16:1530874. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1530874. eCollection 2025.
Arthritis is a common degenerative joint disease with a high prevalence especially in the elderly population. Due to its strong association with chronic pain and dysfunction, arthritis has become an important challenge in public health. Recent studies have shown that triglyceride (TG) levels, as key metabolic markers, may play an important role in the pathogenesis of arthritis, and its associated inflammatory response may accelerate joint degeneration and inflammatory process.
Based on the above findings, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between baseline TG levels and the incidence of arthritis in adults aged 45 years and older, utilizing data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study(CHARLS).
This study utilized the CHARLS from 2011 to 2018, which included 7,551 participants aged 45 years and older. The association between TG levels and new-onset arthritis was assessed by logistic regression modeling, adjusting for demographic and health-related variables. The potential role of HDL-C, LDL-C, and BMI in the TG-arthritis association was further assessed by mediation analysis, which decomposed the association into direct and indirect effects.
During the study period, 3,363 participants (44.5%) developed arthritis. Higher TG levels were significantly associated with arthritis risk, with an 8% increase in arthritis risk for each interquartile range (IQR) increase in TG (OR=1.08; 95% CI, 1.039-1.137.) Interquartile analyses of TG levels showed a significant dose-response trend ( trend <0.05), suggesting that the risk of arthritis tended to rise progressively with higher TG levels. Mediation analysis further revealed that HDL-C mediated approximately 43.5% of the TG-arthritis association, suggesting an important role of HDL-C in the metabolic pathway of arthritis development.
Elevated TG levels were significantly associated with an increased risk of arthritis, and this association was partially mediated by HDL-C. The findings suggest that interventions targeting reduced TG levels and enhanced HDL function may have potential value in arthritis prevention. Future studies should focus on lipid metabolism intervention strategies to reduce arthritis risk and delay disease progression, providing a new scientific basis for arthritis management.
关节炎是一种常见的退行性关节疾病，患病率很高，尤其是在老年人群体中。由于其与慢性疼痛和功能障碍密切相关，关节炎已成为公共卫生领域的一项重大挑战。最近的研究表明，甘油三酯（TG）水平作为关键的代谢标志物，可能在关节炎的发病机制中起重要作用，其相关的炎症反应可能加速关节退变和炎症进程。
基于上述发现，本研究旨在利用中国健康与养老追踪调查（CHARLS）的数据，调查45岁及以上成年人基线TG水平与关节炎发病率之间的关联。
本研究使用了2011年至2018年的CHARLS数据，其中包括7551名45岁及以上的参与者。通过逻辑回归模型评估TG水平与新发关节炎之间的关联，并对人口统计学和健康相关变量进行了调整。通过中介分析进一步评估了高密度脂蛋白胆固醇（HDL-C）、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇（LDL-C）和体重指数（BMI）在TG与关节炎关联中的潜在作用，该分析将这种关联分解为直接效应和间接效应。
在研究期间，3363名参与者（44.5%）患上了关节炎。较高的TG水平与关节炎风险显著相关，TG每增加一个四分位数间距（IQR），关节炎风险增加8%（优势比[OR]=1.08；95%置信区间[CI]，1.039-1.137）。TG水平的四分位数分析显示出显著的剂量反应趋势（趋势P<0.05），表明随着TG水平升高，关节炎风险呈逐渐上升趋势。中介分析进一步表明，HDL-C介导了约43.5%的TG与关节炎的关联，这表明HDL-C在关节炎发生的代谢途径中起重要作用。
TG水平升高与关节炎风险增加显著相关，且这种关联部分由HDL-C介导。研究结果表明，针对降低TG水平和增强HDL功能的干预措施可能在关节炎预防中具有潜在价值。未来的研究应聚焦于脂质代谢干预策略，以降低关节炎风险并延缓疾病进展，为关节炎管理提供新的科学依据。
