THURSDAY, Aug. 3, 2006 (HealthDay News) -- Bone marrow lesions in the knee, which cause pain in people who have knee osteoarthritis, may be hereditary, a new study says.
Researchers in the United Kingdom and Australia studied 115 siblings from 48 families with a history of osteoarthritis (OA) and concluded that genetics play a significant role in the occurrence and severity of bone marrow lesions in the tibia and femur. They also found that bone marrow lesions are more common in men and occur more frequently with age and weight.
The researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess the bone marrow lesions in the study volunteers and then calculated the heritability estimates -- the extent to which the bone marrow lesions are hereditary.
The study authors calculated that heredity accounted for 99 percent of the prevalence of bone marrow lesions in lateral and medial tibia and femur. Heredity accounted for 53 percent of severity of bone marrow lesions in lateral bones and 65 percent in medial bones.
The researchers adjusted for age, sex, height, weight, muscle strength, knee pain, and knee alignment.
Further research is needed to identify the gene or genes responsible for bone marrow lesions, the authors concluded. This may help in the prevention and management of knee pain in people with OA.
The findings are published in the journal Arthritis Research & Therapy.
More information
The American Medical Association has more about knee OA.
