Comparative Medicine: Links Identified Between Osteoarthritis in Dogs and Humans

A team of researchers, led by the Royal Veterinary College, has observed for the first time key similarities between spontaneous osteoarthritis in dogs and in humans. Comparative rheumatology could thus point to new therapeutic avenues, particularly for hip and knee osteoarthritis. Their study* suggests that the common traits identified are partly due to the lifestyle and environment shared by dogs and humans.

However, the similarities observed in terms of anatomy and pathophysiology also contribute to this.

For the first time, different forms of osteoarthritis have been compared in dogs and humans. The goal of this “One Medicine” approach is to identify the disease mechanisms common to both species and to develop new treatments to improve the quality of life and animal health and human health.

The researchers, who are clinicians in both fields of medicine, reviewed the entire body of literature on osteoarthritis. After reviewing more than 230 published studies, the team was able to compile a synthesis of knowledge on this joint disease. It became clear that the joints most commonly affected, in both dogs and humans, are the knee, hip, shoulder, and elbow. The associated chronic pain also shares a common basis, which, according to the authors, suggests a link between canine and human neurophysiology.

By compiling all this data, the researchers hope that future research on osteoarthritis will be conducted through collaboration between experts in animal health and human health. Dogs live in the same environment as humans and develop many of the same diseases. Consequently, a unified approach to several of these diseases could yield new and relevant insights and help explore effective therapeutic solutions, for both animals and humans. This cross-species collaboration will provide a wealth of research material on human osteoarthritis that cannot

currently cannot be obtained from rodent models or models of induced canine osteoarthritis. The potential and benefits of this comparative medicine are clearly demonstrated in this study.

* Spontaneous dog osteoarthritis—a “One Medicine” perspective