Role of the genetic component in osteopenic syndrome pathogenesis in children from regions with a polluted environment

Molecular genetic data and the results of an instrumental examination (ultrasonic densitometry) in 125 children from regions with anthropogenic pollution of the environment and 31 control group children from an area with an unpolluted environment have been analyzed. The molecular-genetic approach was used to study TaqI and ApaI polymorphic loci of the vitamin D3 receptor gene. Osteopenia and osteoporosis diagnosis frequency was 1.5 times higher in children from regions with a polluted environment. A decrease of bone mineral density was most common in children with tt and Tt genotypes (100 and 45%, respectively) and those with AA and Aa genotypes (83 and 42%, respectively). This is in agreement with published data on lower values of this parameter being associated with the ttAA genotype. Comprehensive assessment of instrumental and clinical laboratory parameters of bone density in carriers of certain allelic variants of the TaqI (rs731236) and ApaI (rs739837) polymorphic loci of the vitamin D3 receptor gene has been performed.