Identification of Osteoporosis Risk Genes: The Tip of the Iceberg
Authors: Joseph M. Zmuda
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2009)

Editorials20 October 2009Identification of Osteoporosis Risk Genes: The Tip of the IcebergJoseph M. Zmuda, PhDJoseph M. Zmuda, PhDFrom Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-151-8-200910200-00013 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Osteoporosis is a complex, multifactorial skeletal disorder that afflicts an estimated 5 to 8 million Americans aged 50 years or older, and another 21 to 40 million may be at increased risk for it (1). In the United States, about 1.5 million fractures annually are attributable to osteoporosis (2). These fractures cause long-lasting disability and dependence, and few individuals fully return to prefracture levels of activity (3). The societal burden of osteoporosis is expected to increase substantially in the next 50 years because of changes in demography and improvements in life expectancy (4). These trends are likely to occur not ...References1. Looker AC, Orwoll ES, Johnston CC, Lindsay RL, Wahner HW, Dunn WL, et al. Prevalence of low femoral bone density in older U.S. adults from NHANES III. J Bone Miner Res. 1997;12:1761-8. [PMID: 9383679] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Riggs BL, Melton LJ. The worldwide problem of osteoporosis: insights afforded by epidemiology. Bone. 1995;17:505S-511S. [PMID: 8573428] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Cummings SR, Melton LJ. Epidemiology and outcomes of osteoporotic fractures. Lancet. 2002;359:1761-7. [PMID: 12049882] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Cooper C, Campion G, Melton LJ. Hip fractures in the elderly: a world-wide projection. Osteoporos Int. 1992;2:285-9. [PMID: 1421796] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. 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Zmuda, PhDAffiliations: From Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261.Grant Support: Dr. Zmuda was supported, in part, by grant R01-AR051124 from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Disclosures: None disclosed.Corresponding Author: Joseph M. Zmuda, PhD, Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, 130 DeSoto Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261; e-mail, zmudaj@edc.pitt.edu. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoCollaborative Meta-analysis: Associations of 150 Candidate Genes With Osteoporosis and Osteoporotic Fracture J. Brent Richards , Fotini K. Kavvoura , Fernando Rivadeneira , Unnur Styrkársdóttir , Karol Estrada , Bjarni V. Halldórsson , Yi-Hsiang Hsu , M. Carola Zillikens , Scott G. Wilson , Benjamin H. Mullin , Najaf Amin , Yurii S. Aulchenko , L. Adrienne Cupples , Panagiotis Deloukas , Serkalem Demissie , Albert Hofman , Augustine Kong , David Karasik , Joyce B. van Meurs , Ben A. Oostra , Huibert A.P. Pols , Gunnar Sigurdsson , Unnur Thorsteinsdottir , Nicole Soranzo , Frances M.K. Williams , Yanhua Zhou , Stuart H. Ralston , Gudmar Thorleifsson , Cornelia M. van Duijn , Douglas P. Kiel , Kari Stefansson , André G. Uitterlinden , John P.A. Ioannidis , and Tim D. Spector , for the GEFOS (Genetic Factors for Osteoporosis) Consortium Metrics Cited byPrecision medicine in women with epilepsy: The challenge, systematic review, and future direction 20 October 2009Volume 151, Issue 8Page: 581-582KeywordsBone mineral densityForecastingGenetic diseasesGeneticsGenome-wide association studiesGenotypingMedical risk factorsOsteoclastsOsteoporosisSingle nucleotide polymorphism ePublished: 20 October 2009 Issue Published: 20 October 2009 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2009 by American College of Physicians. 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