title: Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism and risk of osteoporotic fracture.
abstract: Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is an estrogen degrading enzyme. The COMT Val158Met polymorphism is associated with bone mineral density. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between COMT Val158Met and osteoporotic fractures in Chinese Han patients. Case-control study of 320 patients with osteoporotic fractures and 320 healthy controls were conducted. The COMT Val158Met polymorphism was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. Patients with osteoporotic fracture had a significantly lower frequency of Val/Val genotype [odds ratio (OR) = 0.62, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39-0.99, P = 0.04] than controls. When stratified by the fracture type, there was a significantly lower frequency of Val/Val genotype in patients with vertebral fracture (OR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.36-0.94, P = 0.03) than controls. There was no significant difference in the distribution of each genotype between patients with hip fracture and the control group. Our findings suggest that COMT Val/Val genotype was associated with a lower risk of osteoporotic fracture in Chinese population, especially to vertebral fracture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 23 Youzheng Street, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Dawei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Guijun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Yutuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Zhenggang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bi
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase / Q000235:genetics*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D016017:Odds Ratio; D058866:Osteoporotic Fractures / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase