Association of genetic variants of the vitamin D receptor gene with vitiligo in a tertiary care center in a Saudi population: a case-control study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Vitiligo is a common cutaneous disorder of the skin and hair caused by a systemic depigmentation disorder that affects 1% of the population or less due to its onset in early adulthood. Meta-analyses have documented a linkage between vitiligo and the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene. OBJECTIVE: Investigate the relationship between the ApaI, BsmI, FokI and TaqI genetic variants in the VDR gene with vitiligo in a Saudi population. DESIGN: Case-control. SETTING: Single tertiary care center. PATIENT AND METHODS: The case-control study was carried out between January 2015-December 2015 in Saudi vitiligo patients and healthy controls. VDR genetic variants or polymorphisms (ApaI, BsmI, FokI and TaqI) were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length analysis followed by 3% agarose gel electrophoresis. Applicable statistical methods were used to assess relationships between vitiligo cases and controls. MAIN OUTCOM MEASURE: Effect of genotype distribution among four single nucleotide polymorphisms. SAMPLE SIZE: 152 vitiligo (median [IQR] 23 [19] years) patients and 159 healthy controls (45 [28.5] years). RESULTS: We found an association of vitiligo with ApaI and BsmI polymorphisms (P