A positive association of smoking and articular knee joint cartilage in healthy people

Objective: To determine whether smoking affects knee cartilage in healthy adults by examining the association of tobacco use with tibial cartilage volume and tibiofemoral cartilage defects. Methods: Two hundred and ninety-seven healthy adult subjects were recruited from an existing cohort examining healthy aging, the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study (MCCS). Questionnaire data were obtained at recruitment to the MCCS in 1990-1994 and at magnetic resonance imaging to determine cartilage outcomes in 2003. Results: Tibial cartilage volume was positively associated with subjects who ever smoked as well as pack-years smoked, suggesting a dose-response. There was no association between smoking and presence of tibiofemoral cartilage defects. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that smoking is associated with increased tibial cartilage volume but not presence of tibiofemoral cartilage defects, providing further support for a beneficial effect on articular knee cartilage. (C) 2007 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.