Abstract
Aim
This 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.
Methods
Following 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
Patients recruited were (mean (SD)) 65.3(8.8) years old in men (n=9) and 59.8 (13.3) years old in women (n=9). The median OHS was 24 (range 10–32) with SS < 24 (n=10) and MS ≥ 24 (n=7). In comparison to the MS group, the SS group had increased TNFα expression (+28% (RQ=1.28, p=0.35)) with reduced IL-6 expression (−44% (RQ=0.56, p=0.35), though neither of these reached statistical significance.
Conclusions
Muscle inflammation is not clearly correlated to symptoms in this group. Preoperative subjective functional deficit appears independent of muscle inflammation in patients with hip osteoarthritis.
