MANCHESTER, England, March 15 (UPI) -- The success of long-term artificial hip-replacement surgery may depend on a person's genes, suggests a study by the University of Manchester in England.
Researchers analyzed genetic variations in 312 people -- of which 162 had problems after hip replacement -- in the 10 years following surgery.
Hip-replacement complications can include "aseptic loosening," which occurs when the artificial joint comes loose and the surrounding bone begins to dissolve. Deep-seated infection, which occurs when the body is unable to control infection caused by bacteria colonizing the artificial implants, is also a problem, according to the study in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
DNA samples were taken to test for genetic variations in genes responsible for generating an enzyme that breaks down collagen, the main protein found in bone cartilage. They also looked at interleukin 6, a chemical involved in bone metabolism and immune response and vitamin D synthesis.
Variations in the interleukin 6 gene did not seem to have any effect, but variation of the collagen enzyme were more than three times as likely to have aseptic loosening as those who did not carry the genetic variation, and variations in the vitamin D receptor gene almost doubled the chances of bone dissolution and deep infection.
