Hormone therapy works best for women at the highest genetic risk for fracture, according to a first-of-its-kind study led by researchers at the University at Buffalo.
The study included nearly 10,000 participants from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), a national, long-term study of more than 150,000 women.
Fracture
A fracture is a condition where the continuity of the bone is lost. Majority of bone fractures occur because of high force impact or stress on a bone.
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‘Women who are genetically at the highest fracture risk can enjoy the greatest protection from fracture when they use hormone therapy.’
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"We found that women who are genetically at the highest fracture risk can enjoy the greatest protection from fracture when they use hormone therapy," said Heather Ochs-Balcom, associate professor of epidemiology and environmental health in UB's School of Public Health and Health Professions, who led the research team.
The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. The paper's first author, Youjin Wang, conducted the research as a doctoral candidate in epidemiology and environmental health at UB.
![Hip Fracture]( "Hip Fracture")
Hip fracture is a break in the upper part of thigh bone (femur) near to the hip joint. Hip fracture symptoms, causes and treatment are highlighted in this article.
"This study provides a better understanding of who can benefit the most in terms of bone health from hormone therapy use," Ochs-Balcom said, adding that the results have implications for personalized medicine. "It's important information as women and their doctors make decisions about hormone therapy use."
The study, believed to be the first to investigate gene-hormone therapy interaction on fracture in postmenopausal white women, utilizes the largest set of known genes linked to fracture risk from a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies.
Researchers looked at a subset of 9,922 women from among the more than 27,000 who had participated in WHI hormone therapy clinical trials. They wondered whether women who are more genetically susceptible to fractures could benefit from hormone therapy.
"This is important because, as previous WHI studies have identified, there are risks and benefits with hormone therapy," Ochs-Balcom said. "This is where precision or personalized medicine comes in -- the attempt to get the right drugs to the right person to ensure the most benefit and least harm."
As women age, their bone mineral density (BMD) decreases, leaving them at greater risk of breaking bones from falling, which also increases as they age. But some women also are more genetically prone to fractures.
"Our study represents a first look at how inherited predisposition to fracture is related to hormone therapy use," said Ochs-Balcom.
Wang notes that "further studies on gene-therapy interaction are warranted to evaluate the advantages of targeted interventions based on genetic profile." The research team is currently analyzing other gene-environment interactions and recently published another paper on the association of calcium plus vitamin D supplementation and genetic risk of fracture.
Source: Eurekalert
Hip Fracture
Hip fracture is a break in the upper part of thigh bone (femur) near to the hip joint. Hip fracture symptoms, causes and treatment are highlighted in this article.
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"This study provides a better understanding of who can benefit the most in terms of bone health from hormone therapy use," Ochs-Balcom said, adding that the results have implications for personalized medicine. "It's important information as women and their doctors make decisions about hormone therapy use."
The study, believed to be the first to investigate gene-hormone therapy interaction on fracture in postmenopausal white women, utilizes the largest set of known genes linked to fracture risk from a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies.
Researchers looked at a subset of 9,922 women from among the more than 27,000 who had participated in WHI hormone therapy clinical trials. They wondered whether women who are more genetically susceptible to fractures could benefit from hormone therapy.
"This is important because, as previous WHI studies have identified, there are risks and benefits with hormone therapy," Ochs-Balcom said. "This is where precision or personalized medicine comes in -- the attempt to get the right drugs to the right person to ensure the most benefit and least harm."
As women age, their bone mineral density (BMD) decreases, leaving them at greater risk of breaking bones from falling, which also increases as they age. But some women also are more genetically prone to fractures.
"Our study represents a first look at how inherited predisposition to fracture is related to hormone therapy use," said Ochs-Balcom.
Wang notes that "further studies on gene-therapy interaction are warranted to evaluate the advantages of targeted interventions based on genetic profile." The research team is currently analyzing other gene-environment interactions and recently published another paper on the association of calcium plus vitamin D supplementation and genetic risk of fracture.
Source: Eurekalert
Stress Fracture
Stress fractures are small fractures which often occur in the weight bearing bones of the lower leg and foot, mostly due to frequent repetition of an activity.
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 Spinal FractureSpinal fracture or spinal compression fracture indicates an injury to the spinal column. Along with the vertebrae, spinal fractures can also damage the nerves, spinal cord or ligaments in the spine. | Advertisement
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