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Asthma was linked to a higher risk for osteoarthritis (OA), particularly in people with greater social isolation or loneliness, surpassing lifestyle factors like smoking and diet, according to a study published in Arthritis Research & Therapy. The prospective cohort study involved 448,920 participants from the UK Biobank. The investigators assessed the association between asthma and OA and the modified effect of social isolation and loneliness. Participants without OA at baseline were followed for a median of 12.5 years. The outcome was OA, including knee OA, hip OA, and hand OA, based on hospital admission records. Compared with participants without asthma, the HRs for developing OA were 1.32 (95% CI, 1.29–1.35) for all OA, 1.21 (95% CI, 1.16–1.25) for knee OA, 1.12 (95% CI, 1.07–1.18) for hip OA, and 1.62 (95% CI, 1.42–1.85) for hand OA in participants with asthma. Social isolation and loneliness significantly modified the association between asthma and OA (P<0.001). Asthma was a stronger predictor of OA risk than lifestyle factors like smoking, alcohol, and diet.