ABSTRACT
Insulin related growth factor-1 [IGF-1] is an important growth promoting peptide which has anabolic effects on cartilage metabolism. The fact that serum levels tend to decrease in elderly subjects while osteoarthritis [OA] increases in prevalence suggests that suboptimal levels of IGF-1 may play a part in the development of OA. This study therefore considers the hypothesis that IGF-1 levels are low in subjects with OA of the knee. Serum levels of 48 patients with symptomatic knee OA and radiographic changes of different grade were compared with normal controls. No significant difference was found in serum levels between cases and controls [mean [SD] 20,67 [7.73] for cases and 23.91 [12.0] mmol for controls]. No significant correlations were shown between IGF-1 levels, age and total radiographic score. The study provides no evidence that serum levels of IGF-1 are low in OA