Effect of weight reduction in obese patients diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Christensen R, Bartels EM, Astrup A, Bliddal H · Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases

Pooled effect sizes were modest: 0.20 for pain (95% CI 0.00-0.39, p = 0.05, fixed effect) and 0.23 for disability (95% CI 0.04-0.42); the Lequesne index did not separate (0.58, 95% CI -0.40 to 1.56). Meta-regression: disability improved reliably when weight loss exceeded 5.1% of body weight, or 0.24% a week over 20 weeks; the amount lost did not predict the pain result.

Population

4 RCTs (5 comparisons) of weight reduction in obese patients with knee OA; 454 randomized, 417 in the pain and disability pooling

Intervention

Weight-loss interventions (mean loss ~6.1 kg)

Comparator

Control conditions

Limitations

Only 4 trials, one of them the authors' own; modest pooled effects with pain result borderline; short-to-medium durations. Funded by the Oak Foundation, the H:S Research Foundation and the Danish Rheumatism Association; no competing interests declared.