New concept in the aetiology of osteoarthritis

Abstract EN

This study was performed on twenty patients with primary generalized osteoarthritis (O.A.) and ten normal controls.

They were subjected to clinical evaluation, blood examination for detection of autoantibodies against T and B-lymphocytes and electron microscopic examination for the peripheral blood lymphocytes.

The mean percentage of autoantibodies in osteoarthritic patients was 10 % and 13 % against T and B-lymphocytes respectively.

It was 0.5 % and 0.7 % for the controls.

There was a highly statistical significant difference between patients and controls (p < 0.001).

The ultrastructural changes of the peripheral blood lymphocytes showed changes of decreased activity.

These findings might be related to each other and might support the postulation that O.

A.

is an autoimmune disease.