Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, affects millions of people around the world causing pain, stiffness and disability. It would be great to be able to detect it long before it starts to damage your joints. According to a recent study (that I link to you here) a new AI-based blood test could revolutionize the early diagnosis of this insidious disease. In fact, by analyzing just a few proteins in the blood, an algorithm is able to accurately predict who will develop osteoarthritis within 10 years. Even in the absence of obvious symptoms.
Revolutionary prospects
In the study, published in the journal Science Advances, researchers analyzed the blood of 200 white women who had no symptoms of osteoarthritis at the time of the first blood sample and who were considered to be at low risk of developing it based on traditional factors, such as a history of knee injuries or surgery.
Using the new test, which examines proteins circulating in the blood to predict individual risk, scientists were able to precisely identify who would develop knee osteoarthritis. Years in advance and based on a small number of biomarkers, as soon as you are.
Osteoarthritis, even X-rays are out of date
The most surprising result? In some cases, the test was able to predict the disease years before an X-ray could detect signs of bone damage. This is a potentially huge step forward, considering that X-rays are currently the gold standard for diagnoses of osteoarthritis.
This early detection ability is critical, the researchers explain. Because although there is no cure for osteoarthritis, there are preventative measures that can slow its progression. Which? Lifestyle factors, such as low-impact exercise and maintaining a healthy weight, as well as taking medications to relieve symptoms.
A “wake-up call” for prevention
Identifying osteoarthritis early could serve as a wake-up call to push people to adopt these preventative therapies. The doctor explains it Virginia Byers Kraus, lead author of the study and professor of medicine at Duke University.
Looking ahead, the findings could also help scientists develop new and more effective preventative treatments for the disease, perhaps by targeting proteins in the blood associated with the condition.
Osteoarthritis, a future yet to be written
Of course, we are still in the early stages. The test needs to be validated on larger and more diverse populations, including men and people of other ethnicities (the study focused on middle-aged white women). And before it can be used in clinical practice, further research will be needed to refine the test's accuracy and establish its cost-benefit ratio.
However, the study offers us a glimpse into what the future of medicine could be: an increasingly predictive and personalized approach, in which sophisticated artificial intelligence algorithms analyze our biological data to identify risks and opportunities for early intervention.
Horizons that were unthinkable until yesterday, which will improve the quality of life of millions of people around the world.
