Association Between the SNP rs143383 + 104T/C in the GDF5 Gene and the Risk of Knee Osteoarthritis in a Population from Northern Mexico-A Case-Control Study.

Background: Previous studies have found an association between the SNP rs143383 + 104T/C in the growth differentiation factor 5 (GDF5) gene and the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis (KOA) in various populations worldwide.

Objective: To discover if there is an association between the SNP rs143383 + 104T/C, in the GDF5 gene and the risk of developing KOA in individuals from northern Mexico.

Methods: We used a case-control study format that included 145 patients with KOA and 145 healthy controls unrelated to patients. A peripheral blood sample was taken for each of them to identify the SNP by means of real-time PCR according to standard protocols.

Results: We found a strong association between the TT genotype and the risk of developing KOA (OR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.12-2.8, p = 0.014), but not in the heterozygous TC state (OR = 1.56, CI 95% = 0.58-4.17, p = 0.367).

Conclusion: The TT genotype of the SNP rs143383 increases the susceptibility to KOA in the population of northern Mexico, according to the recessive segregation model.