To examine relationships between known osteoarthritis (OA) susceptibility loci and hip shape in a population-based cohort of perimenopausal women in order to investigate whether hip shape contributes to OA development.
Hip shape was measured, using statistical shape modeling, on dual x-ray absorptiometry scans of the hip from mothers in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). The proximal femur and superior acetabulum were outlined, and independent hip shape modes were generated. In a subregional model, points were restricted to the acetabulum and superior femoral head. Associations between 11 OA-related single-nucleotide polymorphisms, identified by literature search, and shape modes were analyzed in a multivariate canonical correlation analysis.
A total of 3,111 women (mean age 48 years) had genetic and hip shape data. The KLHDC5/PTHLH rs10492367 OA risk allele was associated with a wider upper femur in the whole shape model (P = 1 × 10
Hip OA susceptibility loci were associated with shape in this study, suggesting that these loci (and potentially yet-to-be-identified hip OA loci) could contribute to hip OA in later life via perturbing biologic pathways that mediate morphology development.