Objectives Ectopic bone deposition plays an important role in osteoarthritis (OA) and in arterial wall disease. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and progression of arterial calcifications on whole-body computed tomography (CT) in persons with knee OA. Methods We included 118 (36 male) participants who satisfied the clinical American College of Rheumatology classification criteria for knee OA. Baseline investigations included Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and Kellgren-Lawrence grading. At baseline and after two years, a whole-body CT was performed using the same scanner and protocol. Calcifications were quantified in the carotid, brachiocephalic, coronary, thoracic aortic, abdominal aortic, iliac, femoropopliteal and crural arteries. Multivariable linear and logistic regression modeling was used for analyses. Results At baseline males were 66.9 ± 7.7 and females were 68.0 ± 5.6 years old. Calcifications were common, all participants except two females had some calcification, and prevalence ranged between 41.8% and 94.4% for various arterial beds. Baseline femoropopliteal calcifications were associated with a higher Kellgren-Lawrence grade (more severe knee OA). Median annual progression rate was 13.1% in males and 15.7% in females. Structural OA severity was not associated with progression, but a five points lower (worse) WOMAC was associated with 1% faster progression of arterial calcifications (p= 0.008). Conclusion Around age 70 nearly all persons with knee OA have arterial calcifications, which progress substantially. For further investigation into shared causality intervention studies are needed.

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膝骨关节炎患者计算机断层扫描中动脉钙化的患病率和进展

目的 异位骨沉积在骨关节炎 (OA) 和动脉壁疾病中起着重要作用。我们的目的是通过全身计算机断层扫描 (CT) 调查膝关节骨关节炎患者动脉钙化的患病率和进展情况。方法 我们纳入了 118 名（36 名男性）符合美国风湿病学会临床膝关节 OA 分类标准的参与者。基线调查包括西安大略大学和麦克马斯特大学骨关节炎指数 (WOMAC) 和 Kellgren-Lawrence 分级。在基线和两年后，使用相同的扫描仪和方案进行全身 CT。对颈动脉、头臂动脉、冠状动脉、胸主动脉、腹主动脉、髂动脉、股腘动脉和脚动脉的钙化进行量化。使用多变量线性和逻辑回归模型进行分析。结果 基线时，男性年龄为 66.9 ± 7.7 岁，女性年龄为 68.0 ± 5.6 岁。钙化很常见，除两名女性外，所有参与者都有一定程度的钙化，各种动脉床的患病率在 41.8% 至 94.4% 之间。基线股腘钙化与较高的 Kellgren-Lawrence 分级（更严重的膝关节 OA）相关。男性的中位年进展率为 13.1%，女性的中位年进展率为 15.7%。结构性 OA 严重程度与进展无关，但 WOMAC 降低 5 分（更差）与动脉钙化进展速度加快 1% 相关 (p = 0.008)。结论 70 岁左右，几乎所有膝关节骨关节炎患者都有动脉钙化，且进展显着。为了进一步调查共同因果关系，需要进行干预研究。