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Genetics of osteoporosis

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Abstract

Genetic factors play an important role in regulating bone mineral density and other phenotypes relevant to the pathogenesis of osteoporosis such as ultrasound properties of bone, skeletal geometry, and bone turnover. Progress has been made in identifying quantitative traits for regulation of bone mineral density by linkage studies in man and mouse, but relatively few causal genes have been identified. Dramatic progress has been made in identifying the genes responsible for monogenic bone diseases and it appears that polymorphisms in many of these genes also play a role in regulating bone mineral density in the general population. Advances in knowledge about the genetic basis of osteoporosis and other bone diseases offer the prospect of developing new markers for assessment of fracture risk and the identification of novel molecular targets for the design of new drug treatments for osteoporosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Aberdeen Medical School, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, UK

    Stuart H. Ralston MD, FRCP

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  1. Huilin Jin MD, MSc
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  2. Stuart H. Ralston MD, FRCP
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Jin, H., Ralston, S.H. Genetics of osteoporosis. Curr Rheumatol Rep 7, 66–70 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-005-0011-1

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