Liu Mingjiang, Xia Kun
Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics of the School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China.
MOE Key Laboratory of Rare Pediatric Diseases, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China.
Medicine (Baltimore). 2025 Jul 25;104(30):e43098. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000043098.
Arthritis affects millions globally and imposes significant burdens on individual well-being and public health systems. Serum neurofilament light chain (sNFL) has been implicated in various neuroinflammatory and systemic conditions. However, its potential association with arthritis has not been explored in population-based settings. We analyzed data from the 2013 to 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, including 2068 adults aged 20 years or older with available sNFL measurements and arthritis status based on self-reported physician diagnosis. Serum sNFL concentrations were quantified using a high-sensitivity chemiluminescence-based immunoassay. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the association between sNFL levels and the odds of arthritis, adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors. Subgroup and interaction analyses were performed to examine effect modification. Elevated serum sNFL levels were significantly associated with higher odds of having arthritis. After full covariate adjustment, each 1-unit increase in log-transformed sNFL was associated with an 85% increase in arthritis odds (odd ratio = 1.85; 95% confidence interval: 1.79-2.39). Participants in the highest sNFL quartile had 3.67 times higher odds of arthritis compared to those in the lowest quartile (P for trend = .003). Subgroup analyses indicated stronger associations in individuals with higher education and those without diabetes or hypertension (P for interaction < .05). This nationally representative analysis demonstrates a significant association between circulating sNFL levels and the presence of arthritis, suggesting that sNFL may reflect broader systemic or inflammatory processes linked to joint pathology. These findings support further investigation of sNFL as a potential biomarker for arthritis risk stratification.
关节炎在全球影响着数百万人，给个人健康和公共卫生系统带来了沉重负担。血清神经丝轻链（sNFL）与多种神经炎症和全身性疾病有关。然而，其与关节炎的潜在关联尚未在基于人群的研究中得到探索。我们分析了2013年至2014年国家健康与营养检查调查的数据，包括2068名20岁及以上的成年人，这些人有可用的sNFL测量值以及基于自我报告的医生诊断的关节炎状况。血清sNFL浓度使用基于高灵敏度化学发光的免疫测定法进行定量。多变量逻辑回归用于估计sNFL水平与关节炎几率之间的关联，并对社会人口统计学、生活方式和临床因素进行了调整。进行了亚组分析和交互分析以检验效应修饰。血清sNFL水平升高与患关节炎的几率显著相关。在进行完全协变量调整后，对数转换后的sNFL每增加1个单位，关节炎几率增加85%（比值比 = 1.85；95%置信区间：1.79 - 2.39）。sNFL最高四分位数的参与者患关节炎的几率是最低四分位数参与者的3.67倍（趋势P值 = 0.003）。亚组分析表明，在受过高等教育以及没有糖尿病或高血压的个体中，关联更强（交互P值 < 0.05）。这项具有全国代表性的分析表明，循环sNFL水平与关节炎的存在之间存在显著关联，这表明sNFL可能反映了与关节病理相关的更广泛的全身或炎症过程。这些发现支持进一步研究将sNFL作为关节炎风险分层的潜在生物标志物。
