骨关节炎的队列研究现状

Cohort study status of osteoarthritis

骨关节炎(osteoarthritis,OA)是发生于关节的慢性退行性疾病,其患病率在风湿性疾病中居于首位,一直是困扰风湿科及骨科医师的重要难题,所以深入研究OA的危险因素和发病机制显得尤为重要,但目前国内关于OA的临床研究设计多局限于横断面研究,难以阐述疾病发生发展的因果关系。本文对国际上有关OA的队列研究文献进行总结和分析,阐述其研究内容、方法设计以及各自的特点,旨在提高对OA队列研究的重视,也为进一步开展OA队列研究提供方法参考。

Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative disease in the joints. The prevalence of OA is the highest in all rheumatic disease, which is a challenge being faced by the rheumatologists and orthopedic surgeons. It is particularly vital to study the risk factors and underlying mechanisms of OA. So far, clinical research of OA in China is largely using the cross-sectional design, which cannot explain the possible causal relationship. In this article, we will review the literatures of major cohort studies performed internationally, and elucidate their research design, methods, findings and their respective characteristics. This will help us to recognize the importance of cohort studies in OA research and to design appropriate cohort studeis in the near future.