TY - JOUR T1 - How Are Obesity and Body Composition Related to Patellar Cartilage? A Systematic Review JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol DO - 10.3899/jrheum.151384 SP - jrheum.151384 AU - Sultana Monira Hussain AU - Mae Chyi Tan AU - Krista Stathakopoulos AU - Flavia M. Cicuttini AU - Yuanyuan Wang AU - Louisa Chou AU - Donna M. Urquhart AU - Anita E. Wluka Y1 - 2017/05/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2017/04/22/jrheum.151384.abstract N2 - Objective The aim of this review was to systematically examine the evidence for an association between measures of obesity [weight and body mass index (BMI)] and body composition (fat mass and fat-free mass) and patellar cartilage, assessed using magnetic resonance imaging. Methods Three electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL) were searched up to April 2016 using full text and MeSH terms to identify studies examining the associations between obesity and body composition, and patellar cartilage. Two independent reviewers extracted the data and assessed the methodological quality of included studies. Results Seventeen studies were included: 5 cross-sectional, 10 cohort studies measuring outcomes at 2 timepoints, and 2 longitudinal studies assessing outcome only at the timepoint. Eleven studies were of high or moderate quality. In asymptomatic middle-aged adults, elevated body weight and BMI were systematically associated with worse patellofemoral cartilage scores. There was more consistent evidence for patellar cartilage defects than patellar cartilage volume, particularly in women. Increased BMI was also consistently associated with increased cartilage loss in longitudinal studies, although not all attained statistical significance. Conclusion There is a need for more high-quality research to confirm these findings and to better explain the relative contributions of metabolic and biomechanical factors to the initiation of patellofemoral osteoarthritis, to devise effective strategies to manage this common and disabling condition. ER -