Associations of hemoglobin levels with structural knee MRI findings at 33 years of age in a general population-based birth cohort.

Atte Tapiola, Joona Tapio, Antti Kemppainen, Miika T Nieminen, Simo Saarakkala, Mika T Nevalainen, Peppi Koivunen

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Osteoarthritis and cartilage open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

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7 authors.

Atte TapiolaResearch Unit of ECM and Hypoxia, Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5400, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland.

Joona TapioResearch Unit of ECM and Hypoxia, Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5400, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland.

Antti KemppainenResearch Unit of Health Sciences and Technology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland.

Miika T NieminenResearch Unit of Health Sciences and Technology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland.

Simo SaarakkalaBiocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5400, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland.

Mika T NevalainenResearch Unit of Health Sciences and Technology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland.

Peppi KoivunenResearch Unit of ECM and Hypoxia, Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5400, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate potential associations of hemoglobin (Hb) levels and knee magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings at 33 years of age in a subpopulation of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986. Method: Subjects with available knee MRI, clinical and questionnaire data ( Results: Subjects in the high Hb tertile had higher BMI, fasting glucose, LDL cholesterol and blood pressure than subjects in the low Hb tertile. Any tibiofemoral and patellofemoral cartilage lesions were found in 23.0% and 52.6 % of joints in the low Hb tertile and 31.9% and 66.7% in the high Hb tertile. In contrast, any tibiofemoral osteophytes were detected in 21.0 % of joints in the low Hb tertile compared to 8.8% the high Hb tertile. Any knee effusion was more common in the high Hb tertile (54.9%) compared to the low Hb tertile (42.0%). Advanced osteoarthritic MRI findings were rare. In regression models, observed RRs were small. Hb levels were positively associated with any cartilage loss and negatively with tibial and femoral osteophytes. Conclusion: In this relatively symptomless cohort, Hb levels were not consistently associated with knee MRI findings. However, small cartilage lesions were more common in subjects with higher Hb levels.

Indexed as

Cohort studiesHemoglobinKnee joint/diagnostic imagingMagnetic resonance imagingOsteoarthritis

Identifiers

PMID42376176

DOI10.1016/j.ocarto.2026.100841

PMCPMC13312460

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