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Expert groups

Musculoskeletal diseases

Project goals

Diseases, complaints and injuries of the musculoskeletal system are among the most common ailments in Germany and cause high economic costs. The expert group “Musculoskeletal Diseases” is dedicated to the following topics, among others:

The investigation of musculoskeletal diseases in the German National Cohort (NAKO) from an epidemiological perspective. Topics dealt with so far include

  • The prevalence of back pain, osteoarthritis and arthritis in the general population
  • Estimating the prevalence of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in the general population
  • Frequency of cognitive impairment and depression in inflammatory rheumatic diseases
  • Risk factors associated with chronic back pain and its increased severity in the German general population and in high-risk subgroups

In co-operation with the MRI sites of the NAKO, other projects include, for example

  • Research into factors that play a role in the development of musculoskeletal diseases using computer-based algorithms
  • Image-based characterisation of ageing using whole-body MRI data
  • Automated recording of structural parameters of the pelvis, including the hip joint, the symphysis pubis and the sacrum, in MRI images of the NAKO health study
  • Correlation between congenital changes in the musculoskeletal system and the morphology of the skeletal musculature

 

First results

  • Participants in the interview most frequently reported ever-diagnosed persistent back pain (22.5 per cent) and osteoarthritis (20.6 per cent), less frequently osteoporosis (2.9 per cent) and rheumatoid arthritis (1.9 per cent).
  • Overall, women reported musculoskeletal diseases and symptoms more frequently than men, and the proportion of those affected increases significantly with age.
  • Sacroiliac joint: Approximately one third of the general population show active inflammatory and/or structural changes in the sacroiliac joint on MRI scans. The changes are associated with older age, higher BMI, physically strenuous work and pregnancies.

Publications

Graf R, Platzek P-S,  Riedel E O, et al. TotalVibeSegmentator: Full Torso Segmentation for the NAKO and UK Biobank in Volumetric Interpolated Breath-hold Examination Body Images. arXiv:2406.00125 [eess.IV], https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2406.00125

Fischer M, Küstner T, Pappa S, et al. Identification of radiomic biomarkers in a set of four skeletal muscle groups on Dixon MRI of the NAKO MR study. BMC Med Imaging. 2023;23(1):104. http://doi.org/10.1186/s12880-023-01056-9

Streckenbach F, Leifert G, Beyer T, et al. Application of a Deep Learning Approach to Analyze Large-Scale MRI Data of the Spine. Healthcare. 2022;10(11): 2132. http://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10112132

Fischer M, Walter SS, Hepp T, et al. Automated Morphometric Analysis of the Hip Joint on MRI from the German National Cohort Study. Radiology: Artificial Intelligence. 2021;3(5):e200213. http://doi.org/10.1148/ryai.2021200213

Schmidt, C.O., Günther, KP., Goronzy, J. et al. Häufigkeiten muskuloskelettaler Symptome und Erkrankungen in der bevölkerungsbezogenen NAKO Gesundheitsstudie. Bundesgesundheitsbl 63, 415–425 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00103-020-03110-1

Günther KP, Sander O, Schmidt CO, Specker C, Zink A. Germany’s largest healthcare study NAKO with musculoskeletal examination program has started. Z Rheumatol. 2016 Oct; 75(8):757–759


Speakers

Prof. Dr. Klaus-Peter Günther
Prof. Dr. Carsten Oliver Schmidt (Deputy Spokesperson)