The authors conducted this meta-analysis to robustly estimate relationships between polymorphisms in VDR gene and the risk of osteoporosis by integrating the results of previous works. Medline, Embase, Wanfang, VIP and CNKI were searched thoroughly for eligible studies, and 73 genetic association studies were finally included in this meta-analysis. We noticed that ApaI rs7975232, BsmI rs1544410 and TaqI rs731236 polymorphisms were significantly associated with the risk of osteoporosis in Caucasians. Moreover, BsmI rs1544410 and FokI rs10735810 polymorphisms were significantly associated with the risk of osteoporosis in Asians. In conclusion, this meta-analysis demonstrates that ApaI rs7975232, BsmI rs1544410 and TaqI rs731236 polymorphisms may influence the risk of osteoporosis in Caucasians, while BsmI rs1544410 and TaqI rs731236 polymorphisms may influence the risk of osteoporosis in Asians.
Keywords: Osteoporosis; gene polymorphisms; meta-analysis; vitamin D receptor.