Family History of Arthritis, Osteoporosis, and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Risk of These Conditions Among US Adults

Objective

The aim was to estimate odds ratios (ORs) of associations between family history of arthritis, osteoporosis, and carpal tunnel syndrome and prevalence in a real-world population, uncovering family histories of related conditions that may increase risk because of shared heritability, condition pathophysiology, or social/environmental factors.

Methods

Using data from 156,307 participants in the All of Us (AoU) Research Program, we examined associations between self-reported first-degree family history of five common types of arthritis (fibromyalgia, gout, osteoarthritis [OA], rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE]), osteoporosis, and carpal tunnel syndrome and prevalence. We evaluate associations across seven conditions and performed stratified analyses by race and ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic differences, body mass index, and type of affected relative.

Results

More than 38% of AoU participants reported a family history of any arthritis, osteoporosis, or carpal tunnel syndrome. Adults with a family history of any arthritis, osteoporosis, and carpal tunnel syndrome exhibited 3.68 to 7.59 (4.90, on average) odds of having the same condition and 0.70 to 2.10 (1.24, on average) odds of having a different condition. The strongest associations observed were between family history of OA and prevalence of OA (OR 7.59; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 7.32–7.88) and family history of SLE and prevalence of SLE (OR 6.34; 95% CI 5.17–7.74). We additionally uncover race and ethnicity and sex disparities in family history associations.

Conclusion

Family history of several related conditions was associated with increased risk for arthritis, osteoporosis, and carpal tunnel syndrome, underscoring the importance of family history of related conditions for primary prevention.