Osteoarthritis in Relation to Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Prevalence, Etiology, Symptoms, and Molecular Mechanism

 Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and osteoarthritis (OA) are chronic diseases that exhibit a strong relationship with age and obesity, and their co-existence tends to be accompanied by more altered disease conditions. With the increase in precision medicine, understanding the effect of common co-morbidities, such as diabetes, should result in improved management of OA. A higher prevalence of OA has been reported among patients with metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus (DM) and is considered an independent predictor for OA. The review of the literature suggests that DM may accelerate the symptoms, severity, and risk associated with joint replacement. Also, clinical and laboratory studies have suggested that there is an involvement of biochemical and biomechanical changes in articular cartilage in DM. Thus, the molecular mechanism that is activated in a diabetes-like environment that may contribute to OA could be characterized. Diabetes-influenced mechanism may provide knowledge on disease etiopathology and an improved understanding of the biological underpinning of disease for more specific therapeutic OA outcomes.

Keywords: Articular cartilage, Osteoarthritis, Type II diabetes mellitus.