Sex differences in the association of skin advanced glycation endproducts with knee osteoarthritis progression.

Background: The accumulation of advanced glycation endproducts in articular cartilage has been suggested as an etiologic factor in the development and progression of knee osteoarthritis (KOA).

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of skin advanced glycation endproducts (sAGEs) measured non-invasively by skin intrinsic fluorescence and the relationship between sAGE KOA progression in 160 men and 287 women in a sub-cohort of the Osteoarthritis Initiative at a single site. KOA progression was measured by yearly changes in Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI)-defined joint space narrowing (JSN) and by yearly changes in joint space width (JSW) from baseline to 48 months.