Applying EASIX in Osteoarthritis. The Link between Inflammation and Cardiovascular Risk

Osteoarthritis (OA), long regarded as a mechanical wear-and-tear disease of the joints, is increasingly being reinterpreted in light of evidence identifying it as a chronic low-grade inflammatory disease. This shift is more than semantic; it fundamentally reshapes how we assess the systemic risks faced by these patients, particularly their cardiovascular risk (CVR). Given the growing recognition of endothelial dysfunction as a key manifestation of the inflammatory process involved in vascular event development, the pursuit of tools capable of detecting indicators of these underlying mechanisms is of substantial importance.

In this issue, we present a new application of the Endothelial Activation and Stress Index (EASIX) to predict CVR in OA patients. Originally developed for hematological conditions, particularly graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), EASIX integrates three widely available markers – LDH, serum creatinine, and platelet count – into a single index that reflects endothelial stress.^,

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