The cartilage intermediate layer protein gene is associated with lumbar disc degeneration in collegiate judokas

Lumbar disc degeneration is frequently seen in athletes. Lumbar disc diseases include a spectrum of diseases and/or symptoms, including lumbar disc degeneration. Some reports suggest an association between lumbar disc diseases and a functional single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP;1184T/C, rs 2073711) of the cartilage intermediate layer protein (CILP) gene. We hypothesized that lumbar disc degeneration occurrence may be significantly associated with SNP variants at the CILP gene in Japanese collegiate judo athletes. Eighty-nine Japanese judo athletes participated in this study. T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging was used to define lumbar disc degeneration. Genotyping of the CILP gene (1184T/C) was performed using DNA sequencing. By using logistic regression analysis, significant associations of lumbar disc degeneration with the CILP C allele (odds ratio=4.1, 95% confidence interval: 1.5710.71) and body weight (odds ratio=1.06, 95% confidence interval: 1.021.09) were observed. We conclude that the CILP gene 1184T/C polymorphism is a significant risk factor for lumbar disc degeneration occurrence in Japanese collegiate judo athletes.