6. Genetics Play a Role in the Development of Osteoarthritis
Research suggests that up to 35-percent of cases of knee osteoarthritis, and up to 50-percent of cases of hip and hand osteoarthritis, may result from a genetic predisposition to the disease. Scientists analyzed genetic markers in over 30,000 people affected by osteoarthritis. They then compared them with those from 300,000 healthy individuals.
The study revealed nine genes that play a role in the development of osteoarthritis. They then studied the purpose of these genes in the growth of bone and cartilage. After this, they identified five of the nine genes as potential targets for further study into the development of the disease.
Further research indicates that type-2 diabetes and high cholesterol do not have any supporting evidence to prove genetic predisposition to osteoarthritis. However, obese individuals do exhibit a genetic susceptibility to the disease.
Research also suggests that there is a hereditary risk of developing osteoarthritis, particularly in women. Women whose mothers suffer from the disease may find that they incur the condition in the same joints, and at the same life stage, as their mothers.