Clinical And Experimental Study On Female Knee Osteoarthritis Of Estrogen And Progestin

BACKGROUNDOsteoarthritis is the most common chronic joint condition among the elderly. The prevalence of OA aged more than 65 is about 30~47%. Before age 50, OA is frequent in men, but after that age the prevalence and the incidence increases rapidly in women, thus the sex difference occurs. It suggests that changes of sex hormone levels in early perimenopausal women and the decrease of estrogen after monopause could play a role in the pathogenesis of OA. Whether short-term hormonal imbalances or permanent declines in hormone levels contribute to the surge in OA risk remains to be determined. OA severely decreases the quality of life in the elderly, especially in the older women. There are no approved treatments that could slow the progression of the disease or prevent its development. Drug therapy is used to control the symptom of OA. Most of the epidemiologic study of ERT and OA suggest that estrogen could lower the risk of OA of knee, hip and hand and play a protect effect on OA. When hormone replacement therapy is used to control the climacteric symptom and related problems, we found the OA symptom such as pain and malfunction of articular could also get a relieve and the effect could keep for a long time. But the animal study also show a conflict result. This may due to the difference of animal model and the difference of dose, pathway and interval of estrogen use. So it is significative to study the effect of estrogen on OA and its role in the pathogenesis of OA. It could supply more evidence for the use of HRT on the prevent and therapy of OA as a assistant way.OBJECTIn the animal study, we use the OA model of immobilization of normal knee joints of...