Background/Purpose: Studies on the relationship between serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and prevalent, incident, or progressive osteoarthritis (OA) have yielded inconsistent results. Given the limited investigation of these associations in hand OA, our aim was to explore the relationship between 25(OH) vitamin D levels and the radiographic progression of hand OA in a prospective longitudinal cohort.

Methods: A total of 1,310 subjects were enrolled from the Dong-gu study. Baseline serum 25(OH)D levels were measured by immunoassay, and hand joint radiographs were assessed using a semi-quantitative grading system at baseline and 6-year follow-up. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to investigate the association between serum 25(OH)D levels and radiologic changes in hand OA.

Results: Baseline 25(OH)D levels were inversely associated with changes in the total hand joint score (P < 0.001), joint space narrowing score (P = 0.002), and sclerosis score (P = 0.005) after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption, education, physical activity, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. When serum 25(OH)D levels above and below 20 ng/ml were compared with the total score of hand OA based on the median radiographic scores, subjects with low serum 25(OH)D levels exhibited radiographic progression in hand joints after adjustment (odds ratio = 1.566, 95% confidence interval: 1.178~2.081, P = 0.002).

Conclusion: In this population-based longitudinal study, decreased serum 25(OH)D levels were associated with radiographic progression of hand OA over a 6-year follow-up.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/vitamin-d-deficiency-is-associated-with-progression-of-radiographic-hand-osteoarthritis-in-a-6-year-follow-up-of-the-dong-gu-study/