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Chinese Journal of Clinicians(Electronic Edition) ›› 2025, Vol. 19 ›› Issue (12): 899-911. doi: 10.3877/cma.j.issn.1674-0785.2025.12.004

• Clinical Research • Previous Articles    

A novel inflammatory marker and osteoarthritis: evidence from a large-scale retrospective cohort study with mediation analysis

Huiyong Ren, Shuai Cao, Shaolong Zhang()   

  1. Department of Orthopedics, Civil Aviation General Hospital, Beijing 100123, China
  • Received:2025-10-24 Online:2025-12-30 Published:2026-04-13
  • Contact: Shaolong Zhang

Abstract:

Objective

The C-reactive protein-to-lymphocyte ratio (CLR) is a novel inflammatory biomarker. However, the role of CLR in osteoarthritis (OA) remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between CLR and OA in American adults and explore potential mediating mechanisms.

Methods

Participants with complete CLR and OA diagnosis information from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017~2020 were included in this study. The CLR was classified according to quartiles, with quartile 1 (Q1) having the lowest ratio and quartile 4 (Q4) having the highest. Weighted logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between the CLR and OA. Subgroup analyses were performed to verify the robustness of these findings. Additionally, counterfactual framework-based mediation analysis was conducted to explore the potential mediating roles of body mass index (BMI), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and triglyceride-glucose index (TyG) in the association between CLR and OA.

Results

In total, 10319 participants aged ≥18 years were enrolled in the study, including 1640 OA patients and 8679 non-OA controls. There was a positive correlation between the CLR and OA. In the unadjusted model, compared with that in Q1, the osteoarthritis risk (odds ratio [OR]) for participants in Q2, Q3, and Q4 was 1.40 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.19~1.66), 1.74 (95%CI: 1.48~2.05), and 2.19 (95%CI: 1.87~2.57), respectively (all P<0.001). In the fully adjusted model, the OR for Q4 was 1.33 (95% CI: 1.02~1.73, P=0.035). In continuous analyses, the fully adjusted OR for OA prevalence per ln-transformed increment in CLR was 1.06 (95%CI: 1.03~1.09, P<0.001). Interaction tests showed that the effect of CLR on OA was significantly affected by total cholesterol (TC), history of cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes mellitus, and hypertension (P<0.05). Mediation analysis revealed that BMI played a primary mediating role in the association between CLR and OA, with a mediation proportion of 56.24% (95%CI: 34.91~85.71), followed by hs-CRP (33.52%) and TyG (4.17%).

Conclusion

Using the NHANES data, this study revealed a positive correlation between the CLR and OA, with possible modifications by TC, history of CVD, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. Mediation analysis results suggest that the effect of CLR on OA may be partially mediated by several factors, with BMI showing the most significant mediating role, indicating a potential "inflammation-obesity-osteoarthritis" biological pathway. These findings suggest that CLR may serve as a novel early-warning biomarker and provide new insights into the multifactorial etiology of OA. It is noteworthy that due to the cross-sectional design of this study, causal relationships and temporal sequences cannot be established. Future prospective cohort studies and mechanistic research are needed to validate these findings and elucidate the causal relationships and specific biological mechanisms between CLR and OA.

Key words: C-reactive protein, Lymphocyte, Osteoarthritis, NHANES

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