ABSTRACT
Identifying people at risk of osteoporosis is very important, as prevention is possible. Because genetic factors were shown to have a great influence on osteoporosis susceptibility, their study may be of great help in targeting high-risk individuals. In this work, we studied the association between VDR gene polymorphism and bone mineral density in postmenopausal Egyptian females. 45 Egyptian postmenopausal women [57 +/- 4.6 years] were studied. Bone mineral density was measured at the lumbar spines, the hip, and the lower radius using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Ten of the studied patients [22%] had osteoporosis [T or z scores < -2.5]; 21 [47%] had osteopenia [T or z scores -1 to -2.5]; and 14[31%] were normal [T or z scores > -1]. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms in the VDR gene were assessed by PCR amplification and digestion with restriction enzymes FokI, BsmI, ApaI, and TaqI recognizing polymorphic sites in these four VDR gene loci. The BsmI Bb genotype distribution was significantly higher in the normal postmenopausal women [42.9%] than osteopenic women [4.8%] [p value < 0.002]. The TaqI [T] allele was significantly higher in the normal group [68.0%] than the osteopenic group [45.0%] and TaqI [t] which was significantly higher in the osteopenic group [55.0%] than the normal group [32.0%] [p=0.031 for both], otherwise, there was no significant difference in the distribution of other VDR genotypes in relation to bone density measurement. The higher distribution of the VDR BsmI Bb and TaqI T genotype in the normal postmenopausal than osteopenic women may reflect a protective role, on the other hand, TaqI t allele may be associated with lower bone mineral density in postmenopausal Egyptian females