Background:Several studies have evaluated the association between serum adiponectin levels and knee and hand osteoarthritis (OA), with mixed results.Objectives:The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between OA and serum adiponectin levels according to the radiographic features of knee and hand OA.Methods:A total of 2,402 subjects were recruited from the Dong-gu Study. Baseline characteristics were collected via a questionnaire, and X-rays of knee and hand joints were scored by a semi-quantitative grading system. The relationship between serum adiponectin levels and radiographic severity was evaluated by linear regression analysis.Results:Subjects with higher tertiles of serum adiponectin were older and had a lower body mass index than those with lower tertiles. In the knee joint scores, serum adiponectin levels were positively associated with the total score (P<0.001), osteophyte score (P=0.003), and joint space narrowing (JSN) score (P<0.001) among the three tertiles after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption, education, and physical activity. In the hand joint scores, no association was found between serum adiponectin levels and the total score, osteophyte score, JSN score, subchondral cyst score, sclerosis score, erosion score, and malalignment score among the three tertiles after adjustment.Conclusion:In this study, we found that increased adiponectin levels were associated with higher radiographic scores in the knee joint, but not in the hand joint, suggesting different pathophysiologic mechanisms in the development of OA.Disclosure of Interests:None declared