Genetic influences on osteoarthritis in women: a twin study

Abstract Objectives: To assess the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to common forms of osteoarthritis of the hands and knees. Design: Classic twin study with unselected twins who were screened radiologically for osteoarthritis. Subjects: 130 identical and 120 non-identical...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMJ 1996-04, Vol.312 (7036), p.940-944
Main Authors: Spector, Tim D, Cicuttini, Flavia, Baker, Juliet, Loughlin, John, Hart, Deborah
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Arthritis
Diseases in Twins
Environment
Epidemiology
Female
Fraternal twins
Hand - diagnostic imaging
Humans
Identical twins
Knee Joint - diagnostic imaging
Knees
Medical genetics
Middle Aged
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis - diagnostic imaging
Osteoarthritis - genetics
Radiography
Twin studies
Twins
Twins, Dizygotic
Twins, Monozygotic
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Summary:Abstract Objectives: To assess the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to common forms of osteoarthritis of the hands and knees. Design: Classic twin study with unselected twins who were screened radiologically for osteoarthritis. Subjects: 130 identical and 120 non-identical female twins aged 48-70 recruited from a London based twin register and through a national media campaign. Main outcome measures: Similarity in identical compared with non-identical twin pairs for radiographic changes at the interphalangeal and first carpometacarpal joints of the hands and the tibiofemoral joint and patellofemoral joint of the knee expressed as intraclass correlations. Results: The intraclass correlations of radiographic osteophytes and narrowing at most sites and the presence of Heberden's nodes and knee pain were higher in the identical pairs. The intraclass correlation of the total radiographic osteoarthritis score in identical pairs (rMZ) was 0.64 (SE 0.05) compared with 0.38 (0.08) in non-identical pairs. The proportion of genetic variance of total osteoarthritis score (osteophytes and narrowing) with modelling techniques was estimated at 0.54 (95% confidence interval 0.43 to 0.65) and ranged from 0.39 to 0.65 for different sites and features (P
ISSN:0959-8138
1468-5833
1756-1833
DOI:10.1136/bmj.312.7036.940