DOES MUSCLE INFLAMMATION AFFECT PAIN AND FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH HIP OSTEOARTHRITIS

AimThis study aimed to assess whether the severity of symptoms (assessed with the Oxford Hip Score (OHS)) can relate to the levels of mRNA expression of markers for muscle inflammation (tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), interleukin 6 (IL-6)) in the proximal vastus lateralis (VL) of patients with severe OA undergoing THR.MethodsFollowing local research ethics approval and informed consent, 17 patients were prospectively recruited. Muscle biopsies were obtained from the proximal VL (accessed through the surgical wound) intraoperatively whilst the OHS questionnaire was administered preoperatively. mRNA expression for TNFα and IL-6 was assessed using the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The median OHS was used for stratification, with patients above the median classed as having moderate symptoms (MS) and those below classed as having severe symptoms (SS). The effect of SS on muscle inflammation was assessed with relative quotient (RQ) comparison of SS vs. MS mRNA expression.Results...