Relation of alleles of the collagen type Ialpha1 gene to bone density and the risk of osteoporotic fractures in postmenopausal women
BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is a common disorder with a strong genetic component. One way in which the genetic component could be expressed is through polymorphism of COLIA1, the gene for collagen type Ialpha1, a bone-matrix protein.METHODS: We determined the COLIA1 genotypes SS, Ss, and ss in a population-based sample of 1778 postmenopausal women using a polymerase-chain-reaction-based assay. We the