Background Mast cells are prevalent in osteoarthritis (OA) synovial tissue and their presence is associated with structural damage [1]. H1-receptor antagonists block the action of histamine, which is the major mediator of mast cells, on specific receptors. Therefore, H1 receptor blockade may represent a way to prevent and treat OA. Currently, there is a lack of data investigating the effects of H1-receptor blockade on knee OA in humans.

Objectives To evaluate cross-sectional association between the use of histamine H1-receptor antagonists and radiographic knee OA.

Methods For the current analysis we used data from the publically available Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI). We compared cross-sectionally the knees of OAI participants taking H1-receptor antagonists at baseline with knees of control participants. We used logistic regression models to assess the association between radiographic knee OA (defined as KL≥2 and JSN) and the use of H1-receptor antagonists. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to adjust for the correlation between knees. The models were adjusted for multiple covariates including age, race, and body mass index.

Results A sample of 4377 OAI participants (8753 knees) was analyzed, 457 of them (914 knees) used histamine H1-receptors at baseline. The use of histamine H1-receptor antagonists was associated with lower prevalence of radiographic knee OA in both crude (OR 0.77, 95 CI 0.64–0.91, p<0.01) and adjusted (OR 0.79, 95 CI 0.66–0.95, p=0.01) analyses.

Conclusions Histamine H1-receptor antagonists are associated with decreased prevalence of knee OA. Further studies are warranted to determine whether H1-receptor blockade may be of benefit in the prevention and treatment of knee OA.

References

1. de Lange-Brokaar BJ, Kloppenburg M, Andersen SN, Dorjee AL, Yusuf E, Herb-van Toorn L, et al. Characterization of synovial mast cells in knee osteoarthritis: association with clinical parameters. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 2016; 24: 664–671.

References

Disclosure of Interest None declared