الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a highly prevalent chronic disease characterized by joint pain, functional impairment and impaired quality of life. Atherosclerosis is a highly prevalent chronic disorder that leads to significant morbidity and mortality. There is an increasing evidence that suggests a potential link between OA and atherosclerosis The aim of the work: This study was aimed: • To assess the association between the severity of KOA and carotid atherosclerosis Materials & methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 100 patients with primary symptomatic KOA from the Outpatient Rheumatology Clinic at Mansoura University Hospitals participated in this study. Also, 100 non-KOA subjects matched for age, sex and BMI with KOA patients. All patients met the 2010 EULAR criteria for diagnosis of KOA and patients showed evidence of radiological changes of KOA by plain radiography and Knee Ultrasonography. Blood samples were collected from all participants to test for ESR, CRP, fasting blood sugar and lipid profile. Assessment of carotid atherosclerosis is made by measurements of Carotid intima media thickness (cIMT). Results: KOA group had higher cIMT than non-KOA group and more frequently had carotid plaques that non-KOA group. The mean FBS level, serum total cholesterol level of the KOA group was significantly higher than non-KOA group. The cIMT differed significantly among the KOA subgroups based on KL grading being thickest in the KOA-KL4 subgroup of patients The rate of presence of HTN, T2DM and Metabolic Syndrome in KOA group were higher than in non-KOA group. These comorbidities differed significantly among the KOA subgroups. KOA-KL4 subgroup had the highest rate of these co-morbidities. Conclusion: Carotid Atherosclerosis is associated with KOA, therefore a diagnosis of OA may serve as a red flag for warning to evaluate CVD. The presence of metabolic Syndrome, serum cholesterol, radiological KL grade and higher US cartilage thickness grading were the strongest factors that predict the higher cIMT and higher prevalence of carotid plaques in patients with KOA.