Gao ST, et al. - Experts conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate and synthesize the current evidence on the association between rs12901499 polymorphism in SMAD3 gene and risk of osteoarthritis (OA). They systematically searched four electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, ISI Web of Science, and CENTRAL. Using the RevMan 5.3 software, subgroups and sensitivity analyses were performed. By Egger’s and Begg’s tests, publication bias was evaluated. The findings from the present study suggested that rs12901499 polymorphism in SMAD3 gene was significantly associated with OA vulnerability across both Caucasian and Asian populations.