Vascular endothelial growth factor -634G/C polymorphism associated with osteonecrosis of the femoral head in a Chinese population.

An impeded blood flow through the femoral head is incriminated in the etiopathogenesis of osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a strong angiogenic protein and also plays a role in the formation of cartilage and bone. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of VEGF -634G/C polymorphism with ONFH in a Chinese population. A total of 220 unrelated patients with nontraumatic ONFH and 220 unrelated control subjects were consecutively enrolled in a hospital-based case-control study. A polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was used to detect the VEGF -634G/C genotype. Patients with ONFH had a significantly higher frequency of the CC genotype (odds ratio=1.64, 95% confidence interval=1.03, 2.60; p=0.04) than controls. There were no significant associations between any genotypes and the cause of ONFH. Our results support the hypothesis that the VEGF -634CC genotype is a risk factor of ONFH in the Chinese population. However, current results should be validated prospectively in larger cohorts.