Associations between allostatic load and osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional study from NHANES 1999-2020
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fuzhou Second General Hospital, Fuzhou, China
- 2Department of Obstetrics, Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital, College of Clinical Medicine for Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pediatrics, Fujian Medical University), Fuzhou, China
- 3The Second Clinical Medical College of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China
- 4Department of Rehabilitation Therapy, the Fifth Clinical College, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the relationship between allostatic load score (AL score) and osteoarthritis. The study utilized cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 1999-2020), including 33,423 participants. Each of nine routinely measured indicators spanning the cardiovascular, metabolic, renal, nutritional and inflammatory domains was assigned one point if it fell within the highest-risk quartile. The points were then summed to calculate the AL score. Weighted logistic regression models assessed the association between AL score and the odds of osteoarthritis, with subgroup analyzes by age, sex, race/ethnicity, comorbidities and medication use. Elevated AL score was associated with an increased odds of osteoarthritis (odds ratio: 1.06, 95% confidence interval: 1.03–1.09). Compared to AL score < 3, participants with AL score ≥ 3 had higher odds of osteoarthritis. Consistent findings between AL score and osteoarthritis were found across subgroups of age, sex, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and without medication use (analgesics, muscle relaxants, adrenal cortical steroids, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents) (P < 0.05). Our results presented an association between elevated AL score and increased odds of osteoarthritis, suggesting that greater cumulative physiological stress burden is associated with higher odds of osteoarthritis. These findings provide new insights into osteoarthritis pathogenesis and highlight the potential value of managing stress and inflammation in osteoarthritis prevention. Future longitudinal and mechanistic studies are needed to verify our findings.
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BibTeX
@article{liang2026associations,
title = {{Associations between allostatic load and osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional study from NHANES 1999-2020}},
author = {Jie Liang and Lin Lin and Yuzhen Zhu and Zhihuai Bian and Shunxi Chen and Qinglu Luo},
journal = {Stress},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1080/10253890.2026.2755638},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1080/10253890.2026.2755638},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Associations between allostatic load and osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional study from NHANES 1999-2020
AU - Jie Liang
AU - Lin Lin
AU - Yuzhen Zhu
AU - Zhihuai Bian
AU - Shunxi Chen
AU - Qinglu Luo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/06
JO - Stress
DO - 10.1080/10253890.2026.2755638
UR - https://doi.org/10.1080/10253890.2026.2755638
AB - This study aims to investigate the relationship between allostatic load score (AL score) and osteoarthritis. The study utilized cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 1999-2020), including 33,423 participants. Each of nine routinely measured indicators spanning the cardiovascular, metabolic, renal, nutritional and inflammatory domains was assigned one point if it fell within the highest-risk quartile. The points were then summed to calculate the AL score. Weighted logistic regression models assessed the association between AL score and the odds of osteoarthritis, with subgroup analyzes by age, sex, race/ethnicity, comorbidities and medication use. Elevated AL score was associated with an increased odds of osteoarthritis (odds ratio: 1.06, 95% confidence interval: 1.03–1.09). Compared to AL score < 3, participants with AL score ≥ 3 had higher odds of osteoarthritis. Consistent findings between AL score and osteoarthritis were found across subgroups of age, sex, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and without medication use (analgesics, muscle relaxants, adrenal cortical steroids, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents) (P < 0.05). Our results presented an association between elevated AL score and increased odds of osteoarthritis, suggesting that greater cumulative physiological stress burden is associated with higher odds of osteoarthritis. These findings provide new insights into osteoarthritis pathogenesis and highlight the potential value of managing stress and inflammation in osteoarthritis prevention. Future longitudinal and mechanistic studies are needed to verify our findings.
SN - 1607-8888
SN - 1025-3890
ER -