Photo Credit: Mohammed Haneefa Nizamudeen

The following is a summary of “Osteoarthritis Across Joint Sites in the Million Veteran Program Cohort: Insights From Electronic Health Records and Military Service History,” published in the September 2024 issue of Rheumatology by Lavin et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine the relationship between idiopathic osteoarthritis (OA) frequency and demographics, comorbidities, military service history, and physical health in veterans. 

They conducted a cohort study in the Million Veteran Program (MVP), using International Classification of Diseases, 9th and 10th revision codes to assess the frequency of site-specific OA across three joints or unspecified OA in veterans, considering demographics (e.g., age, sex, race, and ethnicity), military service history, military branch, electronic health records, and war era. 

The results showed sex- and age-dependent differences in OA frequency, with unspecified OA linked to a higher frequency of 16 Deyo-Charlson comorbidities. These associations persisted across joint-specific OA. The military branch affected OA risk; prior US Army service was linked to higher risk, while Navy service showed a lower risk across all joints. However, multivariable-adjusted models, accounting for covariates like age, sex, and ancestry, reversed the apparent protective effect of prior Navy service. 

Investigators concluded that multiple factors are associated with OA in the MVP veteran population, with physical status being a potentially modifiable risk factor, which could inform strategies for improved detection, treatment, and rehabilitation of OA in both veterans and the general population. 

Source: jrheum.org/content/early/2024/10/09/jrheum.2024-0237