Association of vitamin D receptor gene polymorphism with susceptibility to Graves' disease in Eastern Croatian population: case-control study.

Abstract

These findings suggest that VDR gene BsmI/ApaI/TaqI polymorphisms are associated with Graves' disease susceptibility in a subset of patients from Eastern Croatia. The ApaI and BsmI "AA" and "BB" genotypes, respectively, as well as combined "BBAAtt" genotype, appeared to confer protection against Graves' disease, whereas ApaI "aa" and TaqI "TT" genotypes were associated with an increased risk for Graves' disease. However, the true mechanisms of association remain to be elucidated.