Urinary collagen crosslinks reflect the radiographic severity of knee osteoarthritis

The collagen crosslinks deoxypyridinoline and pyridinoline are indices of mature collagen breakdown and reflect increased bone turnover. Urinary levels were found to be significantly raised in a group of 59 women with knee OA compared to 110 female controls from the general population. Levels of the crosslinks correlated significantly with X-ray grade of all subjects including women from the general population with mild, often asymptomatic, disease. These correlations were not diminished after adjustment for age and weight.