REVIEW article
Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Bone Research
This article is part of the Research TopicDeterminants of Bone Health: From Molecular Mechanisms to Cellular Dynamics in PathologyView all articles
Genetics and Pathophysiology of Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis
Provisionally accepted
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
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Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH) is a systemic condition primarily characterized by flowing ossification along the anterolateral aspects of the spine, often leading to back pain, dysphagia, and an increased risk of spinal fractures. Despite its significant clinical burden and high prevalence among the elderly, DISH remains underdiagnosed and poorly understood, with no disease-modifying therapies currently available. This article provides a comprehensive review of the genetic variations and environmental factors involved in the pathogenesis of DISH, encompassing recent research progress in inflammation, metabolism, pathogenic genes, and animal models. It also critically highlights the current challenges and future directions in DISH research.
Keywords: diagnosis, Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, Genetics, Ossification, pathophysiology
Received: 13 Nov 2025; Accepted: 27 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Ji, Yang, Su, Sun, Cai, Wang, Pan and Qian. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Kangnan Wang
Bin Pan
Yu Qian
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