Association of vitamin D receptor gene TaqI, BsmI, FokI and ApaI polymorphisms and susceptibility to extremity chronic osteomyelitis in Chinese population

Previous studies have indicated that vitamin D receptor (VDR) TaqI, BsmI, FokI and ApaI gene polymorphisms are associated with the risk of several inflammatory diseases. However, potential association of the VDR gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to extremity chronic osteomyelitis remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate link between VDR gene polymorphisms and the risk of extremity chronic osteomyelitis in Chinese population. A total of 233 patients with chronic osteomyelitis and 200 healthy controls were genotyped for the 4 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (TaqI, BsmI, FokI and ApaI) in VDR gene using the SNaPshot genotyping method. The frequencies of mutant allele C in rs731236 (P = 0.044, OR = 1.830, 95% CI 1.009 − 3.319) and rs2228570 (P = 0.029, OR = 1.347, 95% CI 1.031 − 1.761) were significantly higher in patients than those in healthy controls. In addition, outcomes of the logistic regression analysis adjusted by gender and age revealed that significant links were found between rs731236 (P = 0.05, OR = 1.887, 95% CI 1.001 − 3.558), rs2228570 (P = 0.042, OR = 1.594, 95% CI 1.016-2.500) and the risk of developing chronic osteomyelitis by dominant genetic model. In addition, significant association was also found between rs2228570 and the risk of developing the disease by homozygous model (P = 0.034, OR = 1.803, 95% CI 1.046 − 3.106). However, no significant correlations were found between BsmI (rs1544410) or ApaI (rs7975232) gene polymorphisms and the susceptibility to the disease. To our knowledge, we reported for the first time that VDR gene TaqI (rs731236) and FokI (rs2228570) polymorphisms may contribute to the increased risk of chronic osteomyelitis in Chinese population.