@article {Hussain1071, author = {Sultana Monira Hussain and Mae Chyi Tan and Krista Stathakopoulos and Flavia M. Cicuttini and Yuanyuan Wang and Louisa Chou and Donna M. Urquhart and Anita E. Wluka}, title = {How Are Obesity and Body Composition Related to Patellar Cartilage? A Systematic Review}, volume = {44}, number = {7}, pages = {1071--1082}, year = {2017}, doi = {10.3899/jrheum.151384}, publisher = {The Journal of Rheumatology}, abstract = {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.}, issn = {0315-162X}, URL = {https://www.jrheum.org/content/44/7/1071}, eprint = {https://www.jrheum.org/content/44/7/1071.full.pdf}, journal = {The Journal of Rheumatology} }