Harkey, MSDriban, JBTodem, DKuenze, CMahmoudian, AMeiring, RO'Brien, DWard, S2025-06-302025-06-302024-10-21Arthritis Care and Research, ISSN: 2151-464X (Print); 2151-4658 (Online), Wiley, 77(4), 475-483. doi: 10.1002/acr.254532151-464X2151-4658http://hdl.handle.net/10292/19442Objective: The objectives were to determine the prevalence of meeting criteria for symptoms suggestive of early osteoarthritis (OA) after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) and to characterize the longitudinal changes in these symptoms during the first two years post-ACLR. Methods: We analyzed data from 10,231 patients aged 14 to 40 years in the New Zealand ACL Registry who completed the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) at 6, 12, and 24 months post-ACLR. Symptoms suggestive of early OA were defined as scoring ≤85% on at least two of four KOOS subscales. Longitudinal patterns of change were categorized as persistent, resolution, new, inconsistent, or no symptoms across the three visits. Prevalence and odds ratios (ORs) of symptoms were compared across visits, sex, and age groups using generalized estimating equations, and longitudinal patterns of symptom change were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression. Results: Prevalence of meeting criteria of symptoms suggestive of early OA was 68% at 6 months, 54% at 12 months, and 46% at 24 months post-ACLR. Longitudinally, 33% had persistent symptoms, 23% had no symptoms, 29% showed symptom resolution, 6% developed new symptoms, and 9% had inconsistent symptoms. Women consistently showed higher odds of symptoms (OR range 1.17–1.52). Older age groups demonstrated higher odds of symptoms, particularly at 6 months (OR range 1.64–2.45). Conclusion: Symptoms suggestive of early OA are highly prevalent within two years post-ACLR, with one third of patients experiencing persistent symptoms. These findings indicate that symptoms are more likely to persist rather than newly develop, emphasizing the importance of early identification and targeted interventions. (Figure presented.).© 2024 The Author(s). Arthritis Care & Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Rheumatology. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences3202 Clinical SciencesPhysical Injury - Accidents and Adverse EffectsAgingOsteoarthritisArthritisWomen's HealthClinical ResearchMusculoskeletal1103 Clinical Sciences1117 Public Health and Health Services1701 Psychology3202 Clinical sciences4201 Allied health and rehabilitation scienceHumansFemaleMaleNew ZealandAnterior Cruciate Ligament ReconstructionAdultRegistriesOsteoarthritis, KneeYoung AdultAdolescentPrevalenceTime FactorsLongitudinal StudiesAnterior Cruciate Ligament InjuriesHumansOsteoarthritis, KneeRegistriesPrevalenceLongitudinal StudiesTime FactorsAdolescentAdultNew ZealandFemaleMaleYoung AdultAnterior Cruciate Ligament ReconstructionAnterior Cruciate Ligament InjuriesHumansFemaleMaleNew ZealandAnterior Cruciate Ligament ReconstructionAdultRegistriesOsteoarthritis, KneeYoung AdultAdolescentPrevalenceTime FactorsLongitudinal StudiesAnterior Cruciate Ligament InjuriesJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.1002/acr.25453