| Summary: | The most common form of chronic arthritis is osteoarthritis (OA) with prevalence as high as 80% after age 75 (Arden and Nevitt, 2006). The incidence of OA is expected to increase as the population ages, increasing the socioeconomic burden of OA. Despite the signifi cant burden of this disease, no drug has been identifi ed that can effectively modify disease progression (Moskowitz and Hooper, 2005; Abadie et al. 2004). However, slowing disease progress and improvement in quality of life may be achieved by behavioral modifi cations, such as weight loss and exercise. Many patients with early OA will progress to disability and joint replacement. Physical examination and radiographic studies are relatively poor means for detecting disease early or predicting progression. Therefore, identifi cation of factors to facilitate early OA diagnosis and prognosis is a major focus of current OA research (Lohmander and Felson, 2004; Lohmander, 2004; Garnero and Delmas, 2003).
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