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Hip Osteoarthritis May Have a Genetic Component

Although it is known that some forms of osteoarthritis (OA) have a hereditary component, little is known about the genetics of hip OA. British investigators performed this sibling study to determine whether heredity could be separated from the effect of other known risk factors for hip OA.

The researchers compared 604 siblings of patients who had undergone hip replacement and 1718 controls who had undergone intravenous urography (the hips are incidentally imaged during this procedure). The presence of hip OA in the siblings was determined radiologically. The overall prevalence of hip OA in the control group ranged from 2.1 percent to 5.9 percent for men (depending on the criteria used for diagnosis) and from 3.8 percent to 11 percent for women. Compared with controls, siblings had a significantly higher risk for hip OA: Among male siblings, the odds ratio varied from 6.4 to 11.8 (depending on the diagnostic criteria); among female siblings, the OR ranged from 4.2 to 5.7. Correction for body-mass index, age, and number of hand nodes did not affect the ORs.

Comment: These results suggest that a strong genetic component exists for hip OA. The findings are especially convincing because this is one of the few studies in which radiologic criteria were used for diagnosis. Results of a recent Icelandic study also showed that siblings of patients who had undergone total hip replacement for OA were at increased risk for having this procedure themselves (Arthritis Rheum 2000; 43:2785).

— KI Marton

Published in Journal Watch General Medicine January 2, 2001

Citation(s):

Lanyon P et al. Assessment of a genetic contribution to osteoarthritis of the hip: Sibling study. BMJ 2000 Nov 11 321 1179-1183.

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