| Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disorder, especially in the elderly. In its Priority Medicines Report, the World Health Organization calls for additional research, but so far little is known about its cause and course and no real treatment is available. The difficulty is that the course of the disease can be different in separate patients. In one patient it is a rapid and aggressive disease while in another the degeneration of bone and cartilage can take years. This possibly is the result different underlying mechanisms for the cause of the disease. This project investigates the role of fat tissue as well as the membrane surrounding joints on the development and progression of osteoarthritis. So far, links have been found between obesity and the development of the disease. With the results of this research, patients can be divided into groups according to the manner of development of osteoarthritis. This can possibly result in a more focused treatment of patients. |
