A GWAS meta-analysis of alpha angle suggests cam-type morphology may be a specific feature of hip osteoarthritis in older adults

Objectives: To examine the genetic architecture of cam morphology, using alpha angle (AA) as a proxy measure, we conducted an AA genome wide association study (GWAS), followed by Mendelian randomisation (MR) to evaluate its causal relationship with hip osteoarthritis (HOA).Methods: Observational analyses examined associations between AA derived from hip DXA scans in UK Biobank (UKB), and radiographic HOA (rHOA) and subsequent total hip replacement (THR). Afterwards, an AA GWAS meta-analysis was performed (n=44,214), using AA previously derived in the Rotterdam Study (RS). Linkage disequilibrium score regression assessed the genetic correlation between AA and HOA. Genetic associations with PResults: DXA-derived AA showed expected associations between AA and rHOA (OR 1.63 [95% CI 1.58-1.67]) and THR (HR 1.45 [1.33-1.59]) in UKB. The heritability of AA was 10% and AA had a moderate genetic correlation with HOA (rg =0.26 [0.10-0.43]). Eight independent genetic signals were associated with AA. Two-sample MR provided weak evidence of causal effects of AA on HOA risk (inverse variance weighted (IVW): OR=1.84 [1.14-2.96], P 0.01). In contrast, genetic predisposition for HOA had stronger evidence of a causal effect on increased AA (IVW: β=0.09 [0.04-0.13], P 4.58 x 10-05 ).Conclusions: Expected observational associations between AA and related clinical outcomes provided face-validity for the DXA-derived AA measures. Evidence of bidirectional associations between AA and HOA, particularly in the reverse direction, suggests that hip shape modelling secondary to a genetic predisposition to HOA contributes to the well-established relationship between HOA and cam morphology in older adults.