Chief of the Stanford Preventative Research Center John Ioannidis and a worldwide research consortium have identified 32 genetic regions associated with osteoporosis and susceptibility to bone fracture. The expression of the genetic regions was previously unknown.

The study is significant for several reasons. Directly, the information could help identify high-risk individuals. However, the spread of factors across 32 regions also indicates that a variety of factors combine to contribute to disease, rather than a single disordered gene.

“We’re learning that the genetic architecture of disease is very complex,” Ioannidis said in an article published by the Stanford School of Medicine.

 Ioannidis also noted that even more contributing genetic regions may remain unidentified, and it took a consortium of researchers to find even 32.

“It’s likely that our expectations have been too high in terms of what single studies can accomplish,” Ioannidis said. “Each one of the many teams identified at most only one or two markers; many found none.”

Because so many factors, both genetic and environmental, contribute to the development of bone disease, the study is unlikely to produce any changes in patient care. 

-Matt Bettonville