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Short stature linked to osteoarthritis

This news item was added on 15th January 2008

Short people may face a heightened risk of osteoarthritis, researchers have found.

The disease is characterised by painful inflammation of the joints and is one of the most common forms of arthritis.

Researchers from the US and Europe analysed the genes of more than 35,000 people and found genetic variants linked to osteoarthritis that may also play a minor role in human height.

The variants are on a gene for growth differentiation factor five (GDF5), common variants of which have been linked to a heightened risk of osteoarthritis of the hip and knees.

Senior author Dr Karen Mohlke, of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, commented: "The common variants we identified are associated with both short stature and, as described previously, increased risk of osteoarthritis.

"Our findings suggest a link between the genetic basis of height and osteoarthritis, potentially mediated through alterations in bone growth and development."

The findings are published in the journal Nature Genetics.