Entheseal Changes in Response to Age, Body Mass Index, and Physical Activity: An Ultrasound Study in Healthy People

Abstract

Objective.We aimed to investigate the prevalence of ultrasonographic (US) lesions in healthy entheses and contributing factors.Methods.US scans were performed on 960 entheses of 80 healthy subjects. Factors contributing to entheseal changes were investigated with regression analysis.Results.Thickening (20.4% of the entheses) and enthesophytes (23.1%) were the most common inflammatory and structural damage lesions, respectively. Age (p < 0.001), male sex (p = 0.003), body mass index (BMI; p = 0.001), and high physical activity (p = 0.007) were independent predictors of enthesitis scores on US.Conclusion.The effects of age, sex, BMI, and physical activity on the entheses need to be considered when differentiating disease from health.