The breakthrough by British scientists offers hope for millions of potential sufferers.
It means preventative measures could be taken before the disease has caused irreparable joint damage and could save the NHS millions by lowering the demand for costly joint replacements.
More than eight million people in the UK are affected by osteoarthritis, which occurs when cartilage at the ends of bones wears away, leading to stiff, swollen and painful joints. There are currently few effective treatments other than painkillers or new artificial joints.
Researcher Dr Mohammed Sharif of Bristol University said: “There’s an urgent need to find new and better biomarkers (indicators of future disease), and we’ve now identified two that are likely to prove useful.”
We hope to find out whether they can reliably distinguish between a healthy person and a person with osteoarthritis, identify which patients’ condition will get worse, and whether a particular drug is working or not
Dr Sharif’s team have been awarded almost £300,000 by medical research charity Arthritis Research UK to find out if the biomarkers, found in the blood of patients, can be used not only to diagnose the condition but also to inform doctors which patients are likely to get worse over time.
Dr Sharif added: “We need to be sure they will be good enough for use in an individual patient. We hope to find out whether they can reliably distinguish between a healthy person and a person with osteoarthritis, identify which patients’ condition will get worse, and whether a particular drug is working or not.”
Currently, there are no simple tests for the early diagnosis of osteoarthritis. Usually, by the time a definitive diagnosis is made using an X-ray, the disease is in its advanced stages.
Although there are no drugs to stop it, weight loss and regular physiotherapy can significantly slow its advance if it is caught in time.
Dr Sharif added: “Overall our study should have a major long-term impact on how the NHS manages and treats patients.”
The NHS spends at least £5.2billion a year treating the condition.