Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and the single-nucleotide polymorphism of the growth hormone receptor and IGF-1 genes.

The etiology of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is undetermined despite years of research. A number of hypotheses have been postulated to explain its development, including growth abnormalities. The irregular expression of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) may disturb hormone metabolism, result in a gross asymmetry, and promote the progress of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Initial association studies in complex diseases have demonstrated the power of candidate gene association. Prior to our study, 1 study in this field had a negative result. A replicable study is vital for reliability. To determine the relationship of growth hormone receptor and IGF-1 genes with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, a population-based association study was performed. Single nucleotide polymorphisms with potential function were selected from candidate genes and a distribution analysis was performed. A conclusion was made confirming the insufficiency of an association between adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and the single-nucleotide polymorphism of the growth hormone receptor and IGF-1 genes in Han Chinese.