Author(s): FUKUYAMA, Y., MURAKAMI, H.1, IEMITSU, M.1, Institution: RITSUMEIKAN UNIVERSITY, Country: JAPAN, Abstract-ID: 1135

INTRODUCTION:
Athletes train not only for maximum performance, but also to prevent sports injuries. However, athletes cannot avoid sports injuries during intense training and competitions. Among sports injuries, tendon and ligament injuries occur at a rate of 20–30% [1]. In recent studies, one of the intrinsic risk factors that has been identified includes genetic factors that influence the risk of tendon and ligament injuries [2, 3]. Previous studies have not included integrated analyses of multiple genetic factors and tendon and ligament injuries owing to limited sample sizes, differences in athletic competitions, and sex differences. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to identify the association between gene polymorphisms and tendon and ligament injuries in athletes.
METHODS:
A literature search for systematic reviews and meta-analyses was conducted using five databases: PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, and MEDLINE. All articles were published before July 7, 2023. Eligible articles included genetic studies on tendon and ligament injuries and comparisons between groups of injured and non-injured (control) athletes. Independent reviewers extracted the data. The quality of each article included in the meta-analysis was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated from the sample size of each article. DerSimonian and Laird random-effects model was used, and the heterogeneity between articles was determined using the Q-statistical and I2 test. A p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS:
This review comprised 31 articles, comprising 1,687 injuries and 2,227 controls in a meta-analysis of 12 articles. We identified 144 candidate gene polymorphisms, and the meta-analysis included vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) rs699947, collagen type I alpha 1 rs1800012, collagen type V alpha 1 rs12722, and matrix metalloproteinase 3 rs679620 polymorphisms. The VEGFA rs699947 polymorphism showed a lower risk of injuries in athletes with the C allele ([C vs. A]: OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.64–0.99, I2 = 5.0%, p = 0.04). However, the other polymorphisms were not significantly affected. All gene polymorphisms showed no significant publication biases.
CONCLUSION:
The VEGFA rs699947 polymorphism is associated with the risk of tendon and ligament injuries in athletes. This result indicates that insights into genetic variations partially contribute to our comprehension of the risk factors for such injuries in athletes.

[1] Clifton DR et al. (2018), [2] Westin M et al. (2016), [3] Lulińska-Kuklik E et al. (2018)