Pioneering study asks why osteoarthritis affects people differently

Researchers are joining forces to understand why the current ‘one size fits all’ approach to osteoarthritis is not working.

There are 10 million people living with osteoarthritis in the UK. Yet people experience the condition in different ways.

The SOLVE consortium is bringing together researchers from across the UK, including Southampton, to ask why.

Working collaboratively

Osteoarthritis symptoms include pain, stiffness and swelling. They can have a huge impact on people’s everyday lives.

Current treatment plans rarely consider lifestyle factors, menopause or joint injury. These can all impact disease severity.

In most cases, this generalised approach will not be the most effective way to reduce symptoms.

SOLVE will focus on identifying different types (or subgroups) of osteoarthritis. This will enable better matching of treatments to individuals.

The consortium is being led by the University of Leeds and Keele University. It is enabled by £3m funding from Arthritis UK.

Professor Nicholas Harvey is leading Southampton's involvement. He is Director Designate for the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre.

“The SOLVE consortium is a fantastic example of what we can achieve when we combine expertise across the UK to tackle a condition as complex as osteoarthritis,” he said.

“At Southampton, we are proud to lead the development of a new clinical risk calculator for severe osteoarthritis.

“By building on our ongoing collaboration with the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre in Leeds, we are creating a tool that has the real potential to transform how we assess patients and deliver personalised interventions for this devastating disease.”

Guided by patients

The research will be guided by patient voices throughout all stages. This will help to drive tailored and improved patient outcomes.

Zeyd Kateregga is patient partner on the SOLVE consortium.

“After my diagnosis, the exercises and pain relief I was given hadn't worked,” he said. “Keyhole surgery helped, but 10 years later my symptoms worsened. I couldn't walk 20 minutes without being in lots of pain and taking strong pain killers.

“Osteoarthritis has really impacted my life. I joined gym classes with other people who live with osteoarthritis. They're aged between 18 and 80 and we all experience the condition in our own way.

“I try to stay positive even though my experience with healthcare hasn't always been great. Knowing that SOLVE is taking a compassionate and informed approach to researching osteoarthritis gives me hope that things are changing for the better.”

Understanding osteoarthritis better

SOLVE aims to find out how biological factors, social factors and life events influence osteoarthritis.

The researchers will gather a comprehensive understanding of the condition. They plan to do this by dividing research into four key areas:

• Analyse the different subgroups - Use advanced technology to study tissue samples and gain a better understanding of the different types of osteoarthritis and how to treat them. 

  
  

• Study the impact of life events - Research how menopause and joint injuries can increase the risk of osteoarthritis.

  
  

• Identify risks of disease progression - Identify other health conditions which may result in faster osteoarthritis progression. Turn this into a tool to inform NHS healthcare professionals.

  
  

• Study the impact of social factors - Explore how income, education, or where somebody lives affects their ability to follow recommended exercise routines for those living with osteoarthritis.

The consortium will bring together leading researchers from the universities of Edinburgh, Imperial College London, Keele, Leeds, Nottingham, Oxford and Southampton. They will work with healthcare professionals and people with lived experience.

Professor Philip Conaghan and Professor Melanie Holden are the lead researchers. 

“The new Arthritis UK Consortium, SOLVE, is an exciting programme that will, for the first time, bring together previously separate fields, data, and expertise to create the evidence needed to improve care and outcomes for people living with osteoarthritis,” they said.

“By putting people with lived experience at the heart of the consortium and collaborating with implementation scientists from the start, we will ensure our findings are relevant and actionable.”