Arv og osteoporose

Bone mineral density (BMD) is under strong genetic control, whereas the genetic effect on fractures is lower. Identification of the genes influencing the development of osteoporosis would make more targeted treatment possible as well as improving both prevention and diagnosis. Multiple genes are likely to be involved, and more than 200 candidate genes have thus far been proposed. Some of the most extensively investigated genes are the vitamin D receptor, the estrogen receptor and collagen type I α 1. Before these genes can have an impact on clinical practice, however, their specific function as well as their interactions with one another and with environmental factors must be elucidated. Furthermore, too much focus on the genetic influence on osteoporosis could be harmful since many patients erroneously might think that they themselves can have no effect on the disease. It is therefore important to emphasise that genetic factors account for about 50% of the interindividual variation while environmental factors, primarily lifestyle factors, account for the rest.