Vitamin D Receptor Gene Variants Susceptible to Osteoporosis in Arab Post-Menopausal Women

Abstract

Post-menopausal osteoporosis (PMO) is a multifactorial bone disorder in elderly women. Various vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene variants have been studied and associated with osteoporosis in other populations, but not in a homogenous Arab ethnic group. Herein, the current study explores the association between VDR polymorphisms and susceptibility to osteoporosis in Saudi postmenopausal women. In total, 600 Saudi postmenopausal women (N = 300 osteoporosis; N = 300 control) were genotyped for VDR gene variants (rs7975232, rs1544410, rs731236) using TaqMan® SNP genotyping assays. Bone mineral density (BMD) for the lumbar spine and femur was assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). The heterozygous frequency distributions AC of rs7975232, CT of rs1544410, and AG of rs731236 were significantly higher in the osteoporosis group than controls (p rs7975232 (1.6; 95% CI 1.1–2.3; p rs1544410 (1.6; 95% CI 1.1–2.4; p rs731236 (1.6; 95% CI 1.1–2.4; p rs7975232, rs1544410, rs731236 had a significant effect on BMD and were associated with osteoporosis risk in Saudi postmenopausal women.

Keywords

• VDR gene polymorphism
• Saudi women
• bone mass density