Study: Genetic Factors May Increase Risk of Osteoarthritis

Genetic factors may increase the risk of osteoarthritis, a finding that could lead to new diagnostic measures and treatments in the future, according to researchers at Boston University School of Medicine.

The researchers reported in Arthritis and Rheumatism on a study that included 684 original participants from The Framingham Study -- a long-term study of osteoarthritis that began in 1948 -- and 793 of their children.

Fifty percent of the original participants - and 30 percent of their offspring - had at least one hand joint affected by osteoarthritis.

By comparing x-rays of the parents and children, researchers pinpointed eight chromosomal sites that may harbor genes for hand osteoarthritis.

"Further investigation of these regions using larger studies and finer maps will be important to confirm linkage," the researchers concluded.

Other sources: Arthritis and Rheumatism