Current approaches to osteoarthritis phenotyping

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is currently considered as a heterogeneous disease that can be represented by different subtypes. It is the study of OA phenotypes that is one of the strategic areas for the development of researches on this nosological entity, which will further allow a personified approach to patient therapy and ensure the rational use of financial resources of health care.The paper describes in detail the current researches on this issue. It discusses attempts to identify different OA types according to demographic data (age, race, gender, etc.), comorbidity (including depression), nature of pain (intensity, pathophysiological mechanisms of its development), biochemical markers, genetic and biomechanical predictors, hormonal status in patients, and structural changes detected by ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and computed tomography, etc.