Abstract:
Osteoarthritis is a pathological lesion of the joints, characterized by
structural changes in the articular cartilage and subchondral bone, as well as clearly or
imperceptibly moderate synovitis. Osteoarthritis is an urgent medical and social
problem for most countries of the world due to its high prevalence, which reaches about
25% of the population. This disease is most common among women and is one of the
causes of reduced work capacity and increased disability. The article discusses the
relationship between cytokines and markers of endothelial dysfunction and nonspecific
immune reactivity, the main mechanisms of the development of degenerativedystrophic and inflammatory processes at the microcirculatory level, since
microcirculatory imbalance is one of the main mechanisms in joint diseases. The study
of cytokine networks and changes in their structure, analysis of correlations between
changes in cytokine concentrations relative to each other, as well as in combination
with other factors directly actualized in the process of diagnosing and treating a patient, is a promising area of modern medicine. In osteoarthritis, endothelial dysfunction is a
component of microcirculatory disorders. Desquamated endothelial cells and
vasculoendothelial growth factor are the main indicators of damage to the
microvasculature. Under the influence of pro-inflammatory cytokines, homeostasis in
the microcirculatory link is destabilized. A necessary element in the diagnosis of
osteoarthritis is the detection of an early marker - monocytic chemoattractant protein1 (MCP-1).
