Association of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in Metalloproteinases (MMPs) Genes With the Risk of Primary Knee Osteoarthritis in Greek Population.

This is a prospective case-control study in which the patients' genotype will be studied against the genotype of the controls. The study is prospective and not retrospective, as data will be collected from patients with primary knee osteoarthritis as well as the control group from the outset. The study intends to include 200 people. The first group consists of 100 individuals suffering from knee osteoarthritis, while the second group will include 100 healthy controls without osteoarthritis. From each one DNA will be isolated and analyzed from collected blood. The prospective study allows valid data to be collected on patient demographics and disease severity. Due to the large number of cases of the disease, it is estimated that the necessary specimens will be collected within a reasonable time from the beginning of this thesis. The choice of the patient-control study is necessary to limit the influence of confounding factors (age, gender, obesity, etc.). This type of study includes rigorous selection of patients and controls with specific entry and exclusion criteria, selection of controls based on matching patient characteristics, stratification, and subgroup analyzes. The final result will be a comparison of the incidence of specific gene polymorphisms between patients with knee osteoarthritis and the normal population.