Rheumatology · 1 h ago
UK Biobank Study Links Higher UACR With Incident Osteoarthritis
In a prospective analysis of 445,860 UK Biobank participants without osteoarthritis at baseline, higher urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) was associated with greater risk of incident osteoarthritis over nearly 18 years. The observational findings show a nonlinear association but do not establish that UACR can guide prevention or clinical decisions.
- Analysis included 445,860 participants without OA at baseline.
- Higher UACR was associated with greater incident OA risk.
- Risk rose more sharply above approximately 25 mg/g.
- The observational findings do not establish clinical utility.
Researchers analyzed 445,860 UK Biobank participants who had no osteoarthritis (OA) at baseline. UACR was measured in urine and categorized as normoalbuminuria (<30 mg/g), microalbuminuria (30–300 mg/g) or macroalbuminuria (>300 mg/g). Incident OA was identified from medical records. Adjusted Cox models assessed risk over a median follow-up of nearly 18 years, with dose–response patterns examined using cubic splines.
Compared with normoalbuminuria, microalbuminuria was associated with an 11% higher rate of incident OA (hazard ratio [HR] 1.11), and macroalbuminuria with a 20% higher rate (HR 1.20). The association was nonlinear, with risk rising more sharply above a UACR of approximately 25 mg/g. The association was reported across subgroups and was strongest among non-obese participants with UACR above 300 mg/g (HR 1.52).
This prospective cohort study supports an association between UACR and subsequent OA, not a causal relationship or a validated clinical prediction tool. The findings do not show that UACR-guided screening or preventive interventions improve outcomes; further research would be needed to establish its clinical utility.
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Clinical Rheumatology: UACR as a clinical predictor of incident osteoarthritis: prospective evidence from the UK Biobank ↗This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.