Osteoarthritis and risk of type 2 diabetes: A two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis

Physical inactivity is an independent risk factor for type 2 diabetes (T2D). Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common joint disease that limits patients' physical activity, which may increase risk of other chronic diseases including T2D. However, studies evaluating the effect of OA on T2D are scarce. This study aimed to investigate the causal effect of knee and hip OA on risk of T2D from a genetic perspective.

We performed two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to obtain nonconfounding estimates of the effect of OA on T2D risk. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from genome-wide association studies were selected as genetic instruments for radiographic knee and hip OA (ie, Kellgren-Lawrence grade ≥2). The associations of these SNPs with T2D were evaluated in participants from the UK Biobank. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to test the robustness of the MR results.

Genetic predisposition of knee but not hip OA was significantly associated with an increased risk of T2D (knee OA: odds ratio [OR] 1.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09-1.27, p <.001; hip OA: OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.94-1.16, p = .425). Sensitivity analyses showed that the main findings are robust.

The current study provides genetic evidence supporting that knee OA is a potential risk factor for T2D.