Document Type : review article
Author
Beirut Arab university
Abstract
Background:
Childhood obesity is emerging as a global health crisis with its associated comorbidities. Musculoskeletal complaints in children are one of these comorbidities, with additional recognition for early-onset osteoarthritis. Early-onset OA in the pediatric population remains underdiagnosed due to the lack of specific diagnostic criteria and overlap with the symptoms of juvenile arthritis.
Aim:
This review aims to explore the most recent evidence regarding early-onset osteoarthritis in obese children, particularly in the knee, highlighting correlations between imaging, biomechanics, and inflammation.
Methods:
This narrative review compiles the current evidence from imaging, inflammatory biomarkers, clinical, and biomechanical studies to evaluate early degenerative joint changes observed in obese children. Specific keywords were used to collect relevant literature from PubMed and other sources and were added to Zotero.
Results:
Imaging modalities such as MRI and ultrasound showed joint alteration in obese children similar to the early changes seen in adult-onset osteoarthritis. Elevated levels of adipokines, such as leptin, were correlated with such findings. Children who are affected may present with anterior knee pain and limited function, reducing their quality of life.
Conclusion:
Mechanical overload and metabolic inflammation in obese children lead to joint degeneration, presenting as a distinct pathology. Diagnosis and intervention are essential to prevent progression to irreversible OA in adults. A refined pediatric diagnostic criterion is needed; this can be accomplished by increasing clinician recognition of the disease in this age group, imaging-guided evaluation, and further longitudinal studies.
Keywords
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