Polimorfismo nos genes interleucina 1B e VDR relacionado à osteoporose em idosos: estudo piloto IL-1B and VDR gene polymorphism related to osteoporosis in the elderly: a pilot study

Introduction: Genetics factors contribute to the risk of osteoporosis in the elderly. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between polymorphisms in the genes: interleukin-1 (IL-1b) and vitamin D receptor (VDR) in 41 elderly patients with and without osteoporosis from basic health units. Methods: We extracted DNA from peripheral blood leukocytes of the elderly. Genetic poly- morphisms were assessed by PCR-RFLP. The c2 test and Fisher exact test were used to evaluate the effect of each polymorphism on osteoporosis, with a signifi- cance level of 5%. Results: It has been found a significant association between the presence of osteoporosis and the gene polymorphism of IL-1β (p <0.05) in elderly women. With respect to the VDR gene was not detected significant association. Conclusions: These data suggest that IL-1b polymorphism may influence in the manutention of bone mineral density in elderly women.