Hong Kong scientists have discovered a genetic mutation that may significantly increase the chances of Chinese people developing a form of lower back disorder - the second-biggest cause of sick leave in the city.
They have shown the Collagen IX gene had mutated in 20 per cent of a random group of 1,124 ethnic-Chinese men and women aged 18 to 55, some of whom had degenerative disc disease. The group were from Hong Kong and elsewhere in southern China.
Such a mutation could mean a patient is 2.4 times more likely to develop the disease than those without the mutation, said Kenneth Cheung Man-chee, associate professor at Hong Kong University's department of orthopaedic surgery.
A vitamin D receptor mutation in 3 per cent of the group could make them 3.4 times more likely to suffer from the disease.
An 18-member team comprising scientists from HKU, Polytechnic University and the University of Science and Technology carried out the three-year research.
Its success has prompted HKU's Genome Research Centre to announce it will support further investigation of the genetic basis of the common skeletal disorder. The University Grants Committee recently granted $50 million in funding over five years.
