Genetic Mechanisms and Additional Risk Factors Underlying Hip Dysplasia

Hip Dysplasia, or Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a congenital disorder of the hip joint characterized by a shallow, or dysplastic hip socket, with potential risks of developing progressive joint dislocation, early osteoarthritis from young adulthood and serious functional disability. The Hip Cohort Study is the first longitudinal, population-based hip "phenobank" which includes standardized ultrasound examinations of the newborn hip, radiographs at skeletal maturity (around 19 years), as well as clinical data and DNA samples from the participants. The combination of genetic analyses with the rich radiological and clinical data collected at different life stages during the first two decades of life will enable identification of biological pathways (advanced genetic analyses) that are significantly associated with different radiological indices of hip dysplasia. This will allow for early, targeted treatment of the DDH disease and thus reduce the risk of later osteoarthritis.