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Familiality and partitioning the variability of femoral bone mineral density in women of child-bearing age

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Summary

The contributions of polygenic loci and environmental factors to femoral bone mineral density (BMD in g/cm2) variability were estimated in modified family sets consisting of women of child-bearing age. Femoral BMDs were measured in 535 women who were members of 137 family sets consisting minimally of an index, her sister, and unrelated female control. The family set could also include multiple sisters and first cousins. Women included in these family sets were all between 20 and 40 year of age to minimize the cohort effects of maturation and menopause on measures of BMD. BMDs were measured at three femoral sites using dual photon densitometry. Values were regressed on age and Quetelet Index which explained 13–15% of the variability in BMD (dependent on site). Subsequent variance components analysis on the residuals indicated that unmeasured polygenic loci accounted for substantial additional variability: 67% for femoral neck, 58% for Wards triangle, and 45% for trochanter. These results suggest that polygenic loci account for approximately half of the variability in maxmal femoral BMD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology School of Public Health, University of Michigan, 109 S. Observatory St., Ann Arbor, USA

    MaryFran R. Sowers, Mary L. Jannausch, Mary Crutchfield & Genie Corton

  2. Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, 109 S. Observatory St., 48109, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Michael Boehnke

  3. Department of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, 52242, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

    Trudy L. Burns

Authors
  1. MaryFran R. Sowers
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  2. Michael Boehnke
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  3. Mary L. Jannausch
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  4. Mary Crutchfield
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  5. Genie Corton
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  6. Trudy L. Burns
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Sowers, M.R., Boehnke, M., Jannausch, M.L. et al. Familiality and partitioning the variability of femoral bone mineral density in women of child-bearing age. Calcif Tissue Int 50, 110–114 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00298785

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00298785

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