Association of Specific Genetic Polymorphisms with Atraumatic Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head: A Narrative Review

Introduction Atraumatic ONFH is one of the leading cause of hip morbidity in the working-age group. It is a multi-factorial disease whose root cause can be attributed to single-nucleotide polymorphism. Identifying such polymorphisms could pave the way for new modalities of treatment for ONFH. Methodology Two databases were electronically searched for relevant articles. The articles were screened through titles, abstract and full texts to include the relevant studies. A secondary search was done through the reference list of selected articles. Results A total of 52 studies were included among the 181 hits. All 181 were case–control studies. Summary of these studies identifies multiple SNPs which can cause ONFH. There were 117 SNPs in all 181 studies, of which 92 were associated with the causation of ONFH and 25 were protective against ONFH. Conclusion SNPs play an essential role in causing atraumatic ONFH. Identification of SNP that contribute to causing ONFH may help reduce the disease burden by early identification, diagnosis and treatment, including targeted gene therapy.