Information for Medical Professionals

Inflammatory gene could hinder arthritis progression

A gene involved in the inflammatory process could help to prevent joint damage caused by the progression of osteoarthritis.

According to new research published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, a variant of the gene could also alter the effects that anti-rheumatic drugs have on patients.

The researchers behind the new paper looked at 531 people with late stage osteoarthritis of either the knee or hip.

Of the 320 women and 211 men studied – all of whom were aged under 76 and were yet to have total hip or total knee replacement surgery – 422 had primary osteoarthritis.

The gene in question – known as rs20417 – has three possible combinations, with alleles either in G/G, C/G or C/C configurations.

Among patients with late stage osteoarthritis, eight out of ten had the G/G combination of alleles.

"The results of this study raise the hypothesis that rs20417 is associated with the initiation and/or progression of hip and knee [osteoarthritis]," they said.

Earlier this year, scientists in Australia claimed they had discovered a gene related to ankylosing spondylitis – a form of inflammatory arthritis.

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