Using genetic risk scores to predict the likelihood a patient will need a hip or knee replacement could help prevent disease progression to severe osteoarthritis, Melbourne researchers say.

Their findings suggest that over-70s who score highly for a certain groups of genetic variants are at 44% and 88% increased risk of knee or hip replacement, respectively, than those with low scores.

The Monash University-led team says the scores could be incorporated into existing decision support tools for a more personalised assessment of severe osteoarthritis (OA) risk earlier in a patient’s life.

“Genetic scores, such as the one we developed, do not change over a person’s life,” senior author Dr Flavia Cicuttini (PhD) said in a statement.