Vitamin D Receptor Polymorphisms and Falls Among Older Adults Living in the Community: Results From the ilSIRENTE Study

Vitamin D receptor (VDR) genotypes were associated with cognitive status, depressive symptoms, strength, and sarcopenia, but, thus far, no study has assessed their relationship with falls. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether, in a population of older adults living in the community, VDR FokI and BsmI genotypes are associated with falls. To this aim, we used data from the baseline evaluation of the ilSIRENTE study, which enrolled older adults ≥80 yr of age living in the community in Italy. Falls occurring within 90 days of assessment were assessed by study personnel. The mean age of 259 study participants was 85.0 ± 4.5 (SD) yr; 172 (66.4%) were women. Overall, 33 (12.7%) participants reported one or more falls. The rate of falls was 19.5% in participants with the BB genotype, 11.1% in those with Bb genotype, and 5.9% in those with bb genotype (p for linear trend = 0.02). After adjusting for potential confounders, compared with participants with the BB genotype, those with the bb genotype had a significantly lower OR for falls 0.14 (95% CI, 0.03–0.66). Rate of falls did not differ significantly across FokI genotypes (FF: 14.4%, Ff: 11.9%, ff: 9.1%; p = 0.43). In conclusion, the VDR bb genotype of the BsmI gene is associated with a reduced rate of falls compared with the BB genotype, whereas no effect on falls was shown for FokI polymorphism. Further studies conducted in larger population are needed to confirm the association of BsmI genotype and falls and to understand reasons for these findings.