Medscape reports on new research that shows a small number of blood biomarkers can identify patients who will develop knee osteoarthritis (OA) up to 8 years before signs of the disease are detectable via X-ray. 

Andrew Grose, MD, MSc, orthopedic trauma surgeon at HSS noted that the methods and conclusions seemed sound but cautioned that the study only looked for radiographic evidence of OA, and not symptomatic OA. 

"Clinically relevant OA is correlated with what you see on an x-ray, but the x-ray is definitely not the whole story," said Dr. Grose.

To be clinically relevant, patients must also have symptoms, such as pain and stiffness, and interfere with daily life. But what shows up on an x-ray is not necessarily indicative of what patients are experiencing, he said. Solely focusing on radiographic findings could lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment of OA, Dr. Grose explained.

Read the full article at medscape.com.