A genetic trait associated with Alzheimer disease has been linked to an increased risk of osteoporotic fractures.
In a new study, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California at San Francisco reported that older women with a form of the gene for apolipoprotein E (APOE) have a substantially increased risk of hip and wrist fractures. The researchers followed 1750 women aged 65 years and older for 7 years. They evaluated bone mineral density, APOE gene alleles, cognitive function, and the occurrence of wrist and hip fractures and falls in the study participants.
The researchers found that women with at least one copy of theAPOE-4 allele were twice as likely to have a hip or wrist fracture as women with APOE-2 or APOE-3 alleles. Their analysis showed that the APOE-4 allele influences fracture risk independent of bone mineral density and falls. Women . . . [Full Text of this Article]
