Inflammation of the lining of the joint “strongly predicts” knee osteoarthritis

Detecting signs of synovitis – inflammation that affects the lining of the joint – could be used to predict if someone is likely to develop knee osteoarthritis, experts highlight in the Annals of the Rheumatic Disease.
A total of 133 knees (belonging to 120 people) with radiographic knee osteoarthritis were compared to 133 knees. For four years the joints were evaluated annually using radiography and non-contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imagery (MRI). The MRIs were assessed for two types of synovitis.
Both types of synovitis were shown to strongly predict the development of incident radiographic knee osteoarthritis. It is hoped that the findings will lead to new ways of predicting osteoarthritis.
Symptoms of synovitis are swelling, redness and a feeling of warmth in the joint. It can painful, especially during movement.

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