Degenerative disc disease (DDD) and osteoarthritis (OA) are relatively frequent causes of disability amongst the elderly; they constitute serious socioeconomic costs and significantly impair quality of life. Previous studies to date have found that aggrecan variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) contributes both to DDD and OA. However, current data are not consistent across studies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate systematically the relationship between aggrecan VNTR, and DDD and/or OA. This study used a highly sensitive search strategy to identify all published studies related to the relationship between aggrecan VNTR and both DDD and OA in multiple databases from January 1996 to December 2016. All identified studies were systematically evaluated using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Cochrane methodology was also applied to the results of this study.Objectives
Methods
