Background: Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a developmental disorder of the hip joint that results in an abnormal socket of the femoral head, ranging from instability, subluxation and complete dislocation of the hip joint. DDH has a considerable genetic component.
Design: We reviewed the recent progress on genetic study of DDH.
Results: By linkage and case-control association studies, DDH loci have been identified with several susceptibility genes that involve in bone and joint biology; however, no unequivocal genes with global significance have been detected. The current problem of the association study in DDH is discussed.
Conclusions: By advanced technologies and international collaboration, we need to find more susceptibility genes and bridge the gap between genetic evidence and molecular mechanisms.
© 2012 The Authors. European Journal of Clinical Investigation © 2012 Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation.