Vascular pathology in osteoarthritis / 中国矫形外科杂志

ABSTRACT

There is mounting evidence that vascular pathology plays a role in the initiation and/or progression of the major disease of joints osteoarthritis(OA).Potential mechanisms areepisodically reduced blood flow through the small vessels in the subchondral bone at the ends of long bones,and related to this,reduced interstitial fluid flow in subchondral bone and compromised nutrient and gas exchange into the articular cartilage,a potential initiator of degradation changes in the cartilage.The second is apoptosis of osteocytes in regions of the subchondral bone,which would initiate osteoclastic resorption of that bone and at least temporarily reduce the bony support for the overlying cartilage.It may be important to recognize these potential aetiological factors in order to develop more effective treatments to inhibit the progression of OA.