Deranged Vitamin D Metabolism but Normal Bone Mineral Density in Finnish Noncirrhotic Male Alcoholics

To study the effect of prolonged ethanol consumption on calcium metabolism and on the prevalence of osteoporosis we examined 38 Finnish noncirrhotic male alcoholics (30-55 years of age) with dietary interviews and biochemical measurements and by measuring the bone mineral content of the forearm using single photon absorptiometry (SPA) and the bone mineral density of the spine, humerus and proximal femur using nonquantified computer tomography (CT) and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). In comparison two groups of healthy controls were studied. The mean daily dietary intake of calcium was 1.3 g in the patients and 1.2 g in the controls. The dietary intake of vitamin D was equal in the study groups, too. The serum levels of calcium, phosphate and parathyroid hormone did not show any difference between the patients and controls but in the alcoholics the urinary excretion of calcium was reduced by 42% (p less than 0.0001) as compared to the controls. The serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, and 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 were reduced in the alcoholics by 40% (p less than 0.0001), 23% (p less than 0.01), and 48% (p less than 0.0001), respectively, as compared to the controls. The alcoholic men had normal levels of serum testosterone and they did not have hypercortisolism. The bone mineral content of the dominant forearm measured by SPA was similar in the study groups as were the bone mineral densities (BMD) of the lumbar and humeral areas measured by CT. The BMD at the lumbar, femoral neck, Ward's triangle and trochanter sites measured by DEXA did not differ, either.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Bone Mineral Density in Hemophilia Patients

Patients with hemophilia suffer from low bone mineral density (BMD) due to several risk factors including arthropathy and resulting immobility. Recent studies have shown variable frequency of low BMD in this group of patients. This study attempts to assess the prevalence of low BMD (osteoporosis and osteopenia) and the associated risk factors in a group of Iranian hemophilia patients. Patients with moderate or severe hemophilia underwent BMD measurement by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. The results were correlated with other variables including physical activity, calcium intake and demographic data. Forty two patients with the mean age of 31 years (range 18–72) completed the study. The prevalence of osteoporosis in the spine and the left femoral neck was 23.8 and 14.6 %, respectively, and osteopenia in the spine and femoral neck was seen in 45.2 and 31.7 % of the patients, respectively based on the WHO T-score criteria. We found only cigarette smoking to be significantly related to low BMD (P < 0.001). There were two cases of pathologic fracture at femoral neck and forearm (4.8 %). Low BMD is very common in patients with hemophilia. Appropriate assessment of BMD and control of predisposing factors such as prophylactic factor replacement (to prevent hemarthrosis) and cessation of cigarette smoking are warranted.     

Low Bone Mineral Density and Impaired Bone Metabolism in Young Alcoholic Patients Without Liver Cirrhosis: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Osteoporosis is regularly mentioned as a consequence of alcoholism. Ethanol′s direct effect on bone‐modeling cells as well as alcoholism‐related “life‐style factors” such as malnutrition, lack of exercise, hormonal changes, and liver cirrhosis are discussed as potential causative factors. Methods: In a cross‐sectional study, we have examined 57 noncirrhotic alcoholic patients (37 male, 20 female) aged 27 to 50 years. Patients suffering from comorbid somatic diseases and with co‐medication known to have an influence on bone mineral density (e.g., glucocorticoids, heparin, anticonvulsant agents, oral contraceptives) were excluded. We determined bone mineral density (BMD) by dual x‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) in the lumbar spine (L1–L4) and the proximal right femur (femoral neck, total hip) as well as parameters of bone metabolism. Results: In males but not females, BMD was significantly reduced in the lumbar region, as well as in the proximal femur (femoral neck, total hip). Nine male patients (24.3% of men) and 1 female patient (5% of women) had low BMD (defined as Z‐score ≤ ?2.0). As expected, there was a positive correlation between body mass index (BMI) and BMD. Alcohol‐related factors (e.g., duration of abuse, consumed amount of alcohol per day) as well as smoking were not associated with a significant effect on BMD. All of the 20 women examined showed elevated estradiol levels, which may have served as a protective factor. In this study, 75.7% of the men and 90% of the women had vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency (plasma levels of 25‐hydroxy‐vitamin D < 30 ng/ml). Conclusions: Our study indicates that younger alcoholic patients without other diseases may suffer from an increased risk to develop low BMD and a disturbance of vitamin D metabolism. Nutritional factors or less exposure to sunlight may play an important role in bone loss in young alcoholic patients. BMD measurement and assessment of bone metabolism should be considered in all patients with chronic alcoholism.     

绝经后2型糖尿病患者骨密度与颈动脉内膜中膜厚度的关系

目的 探讨绝经后2型糖尿病患者骨密度与颈动脉内膜中膜厚度的关系.方法 选择符合纳入标准的93例绝经后2型糖尿病患者和55例健康对照者,测定其正位腰椎L_(1～4)及左股骨颈骨密度,并根据骨密度将2型糖尿病患者分为并发骨质疏松症组和无骨质疏松症组,同时测定颈动脉内膜中膜厚度,并收集三组患者的年龄、绝经年限、体质指数等资料.结果 骨质疏松症组与无骨质疏松症组比较年龄、绝经年限、病程及体质指数差异有统计学意义(P<0.01);与无骨质疏松症组和对照组比较,骨质疏松症组正位腰椎L_(1～4)、左股骨颈骨密度下降(P<0.01),颈动脉内膜中膜厚度增厚(P<0.01),斑块发生率增高(P<0.05).相关分析显示,2型糖尿病患者正位腰椎L_(1～4)和左股骨颈骨密度与患者年龄、病程、绝经年限及颈动脉内膜中膜厚度呈负相关,与体质指数呈正相关.结论 绝经后2型糖尿病患者骨密度与颈动脉体质指数存在一定的联系,低骨密度绝经后2型糖尿病患者更易发生动脉粥样硬化.     

Bone Density Reduction in Patients with Crohn Disease and Associations with Demographic and Disease Variables: Cross-sectional Data from a Population-based Study

Background: The extent of bone density reduction in patients with Crohn disease is still being debated. The aim of this study was to examine bone mineral density (BMD) and factors associated with reduced BMD in a representative population of patients with Crohn disease aged between 20 and 70 years. Methods: BMD (using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) was measured in spine and hip in 55 patients with Crohn disease recruited from the entire Crohn population (n = 96) in a defined area of southern Norway. Demographic and clinical data were also collected. The patients were compared with 52 ageand gender-matched healthy controls. Potential demographic and disease-related factors associated with BMD reduction were statistically tested with bi- and multivariate analyses. Results: The BMD reduction in patients with Crohn disease was 7.1% (P = 0.02) in spine L1-4, 6.1% (P = 0.08) in femoral neck and 8.4% (P = 0.02) in total hip as compared with the controls. In total hip and femoral neck, age, body weight and gender were independently associated with reduced BMD, but in the spine only body weight. Among the disease-related variables, only ever use of prednisolone was independently associated with reduction in BMD but this only in the femoral neck. Conclusions: The spine and hip BMD reduction of 6%-8% is similar to that found in a comparable population-based study performed in another area in Norway. Among the disease-related variables tested for, only the use of prednisolone was independently associated with BMD reduction. However, the BMD reduction measured in this study indicates that disease-related mechanisms are involved.     

Blood Phosphatidylethanol as a Marker of Alcohol Abuse: Levels in Alcoholic Males during Withdrawal

Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is formed only in the presence of ethanol, via the action of phospholipase D. We studied PEth in blood as a possible marker of alcohol abuse in 15 male alcoholics admitted for detoxification. Blood was drawn on the first day after admission and up to 28 days thereafter. PEth in whole blood was 13.2 ± 2.2 pmol liter⁻¹ (mean ± SE) at first sampling and remained detectable up to 14 days after admission. Blood ethanol was 0 on the morning after admission. The time courses of PEth disappearance varied among individuals. No PEth could be found in blood of control persons who had abstained from ethanol for 4 days. Levels of PEth and carbohydrate-deficient transferrin or γ-glutamyltranspeptidase did not correlate. Its high specificity and prolonged detectability suggest PEth in blood as a marker of recent alcohol abuse.     

The Factors Affecting Bone Density in Cirrhosis

Background:

Bone loss is common in cirrhosis. However, the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis has been heterogeneous in different reports. Reduction in bone formation with or without increase in bone resorption appears to be responsible for bone loss in these patients.

Objectives:

We aimed to investigate bone loss in patients with cirrhosis at different anatomical sites and key factors that might affect it.

Patients and Methods:

In this cross-sectional study, 97 patients with cirrhosis who were referred to Razi Hospital, Rasht, Iran, from 2008 to 2010, were studied. Cirrhosis was diagnosed using biopsy and/or clinical and paraclinical findings. Bone mineral densitometry was done in L2 through L4 lumbar spine (LS) and femoral neck (FN), using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) (QDR 1000, Hologic DEXA Inc, Waltham, Massachusetts, the United States). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 18. A P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results:

A total of 97 patients with cirrhosis (55.7% male) and the mean age of 51 ± 13 years and median body mass index (BMI) of 22.7 kg/m² were recruited over a two-year period. Etiologies of cirrhosis were hepatitis C (40.2%), hepatitis B (26.8%), cryptogenic (21.6%), and other causes (11.4%). Child A, B, and C, were seen in 16.5%, 47.4%, and 36.1% of patients, respectively. The DEXA results were abnormal in 78.4% of our participants (osteopenia, 45.4%; osteoporosis, 33%). BMI and calculated glomerular filtration rate (GFRc) had moderate positive and Child score had moderate negative significant correlation with T score in both anatomical sites. There was no significant association between abnormal DEXA and the causes of cirrhosis. The univariate analysis showed that the risk of abnormal results in DEXA was significantly higher in those with low BMI, current smoking, higher Child score, and low GFRc; however, in multivariate analysis, the abnormal results were more frequent in those with lower vitamin D, higher Child score, and less GFRc.

Conclusions:

Abnormal DEXA was highly prevalent among patients with cirrhosis. The risk of this finding was increased by lower vitamin D levels, advanced disease, and impaired renal function.     

Bone mineral density in ankylosing spondylitis

Summary Vertebral osteoporosis is a well-recognized feature of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and also the vertebral compression fractures due to osteoporosis are a common but frequently unrecognized complication of AS. Both may contribute to the pathogenesis of spinal deformity and back pain. The aim of this study was to measure vertebral and femoral neck bone mass in patients with AS by dual photon absorptiometry, to determine the prevalence of compression fractures and to examine the relationship between bone density and disease severity. We found that the bone mass was diminished in the lumbar spine in moderate AS versus mild forms but the patients with advanced disease had the highest BMD values. Examination of spinal radiographs revealed compression and biconcave fractures in 9 (40.9%) cases. Neither the duration of the disease and the degree of sacroiliitis, nor the disease activity assessed by laboratory and clinical parameters was found to significantly affect the results.     

上海地区812名老年人尺桡骨骨密度的测定结果

本文报道应用γ线吸收法对上海地区812史60岁以上老人尺橈骨骨密度进行测定,结果与中、壮年比较。男性老年组骨密度平均为0.8002g/cm~2,较中年组(0.8657g/cm~2)、壮年组(0.8386g/cm~2)分别降低7.50％(P<0.01)和4.59％(P<0.01)。女性老年组骨密度平均为0.6216g/cm~2,较中年组(0.7581g/om~2)、壮年组(0.7221g/cm~2)分别降低18％(P<0.01)和10.9％(P<0.01)。女性老年骨密度降低速度比男性老年快2～3倍。812名老人中骨折发生率为14.4％,有骨折者的骨密度明显低于无骨折者。重视对骨密度的监测和骨质疏松症的预防是老年保健的一项重要措施。     

Association Between ABO Blood Group and Fibrosis Severity in Chronic Hepatitis C Infection

The progression of fibrosis in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a process in which genes interact with environmental factors. A “clotting process” is involved in fibrogenesis. ABO blood group distribution is associated with thrombotic disease, non-O blood group increasing the risk of venous thrombosis. The aim of the study was to investigate whether ABO blood type contributes to the severity of fibrosis. We studied blood group distribution in 346 French patients with HCV infection who underwent biopsies. The distribution of non-O blood group was 40%, 55%, 62%, 71%, and 73% for the F0, F1, F2, F3 and F4 fibrosis scores, respectively. Non-O blood group was associated with increased severity of fibrosis, even after adjustment on gender, age, duration of infection, and alcohol consumption (odds ratio 1.8, 95% confidence interval 1.0–2.9; P=.04). Non-O blood group is an independent risk factor for the progression of liver fibrosis in HCV infection.     

Allele Frequencies and Molecular Genotyping of the ABO Blood Group System in a Kuwaiti Population

The phenotypic distributions of observed numbers of ABO blood groups in a Kuwaiti sample population of 18,558 subjects are 4962 (26.7%) with A, 4,462 (24.1%) with B, 858 (4.6%) with AB, and 8,276 (44.6%) with 0. The calculated gene frequencies are 0.6678 for ABO*O, 0.1768 for ABO*A, and 0.1554 for ABO*B. Molecular genotyping of the ABO blood group system in a Kuwaiti sample population was determined using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. The positions of nucleotides 258 and 700 of cDNA from A transferase were amplified by PCR. The amplified DNA was subjected to RFLP analysis to distinguish A, B, and O alleles. Blood samples of known ABO phenotype from 101 healthy unrelated Kuwaiti individuals (A, 29; B, 23; AB, 14; O,35) were used. Two DNA fragments of the ABO locus were designed to be amplified by 2 pairs of primers. To identify the 258th nucleotide, a 199- or 200-bp DNA fragment was amplified by PCR and digested with KpnI. For the 700th nucleotide, a 128-bp DNA fragment was amplified by PCR and digested with AluI. By analyzing the electrophoresis patterns,ABO genotypes were conclusively determined by examining the DNA fragments. The ABO genotypes of the known 101 samples were as follows: AA, 4.30%; AO, 24.41%; BB, 4.16%; BO, 24.2%; AB, 8.46%; and 00, 34.65%. These results were confirmed statistically using the calculated frequencies of IA, IB, and IO alleles.     

Chronic Gastritis and Bone Mineral Density in Women

We conducted a cross-sectional study of bone mineral density in women with Helicobacter pylori gastritis or autoimmune gastritis. Eighty-five patients were enrolled: 24 patients (mean age 55.2 ± 13.5 years) with autoimmune gastritis, 34 patients (mean age 63.7 ± 7.3 years) with H. pylori gastritis, and 27 H. pylori-negative patients with normal gastric mucosa (mean age 62.5 ± 7.0 years). Gastric mucosa was evaluated by histology and immunohistochemistry. Bone mineral density was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Autoimmune gastritis patients presented severe gastric body mucosa atrophy, based on the absence of parietal cells in 15 (62.5%) patients and the presence of only scattered parietal cells in the remaining nine (37.5%) patients. Among the H. pylori gastritis patients, 21 (62%) presented with different degrees of gastric mucosa atrophy. Bone mineral densities (mean ± SD, g/mm²) were not different among patients with autoimmune gastritis and H. pylori gastritis and the controls. Our results suggest that H. pylori-associated gastritis and autoimmune gastritis would not to be risk factors for decreased bone mineral density in women.     

Bone Mineralization in Young Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and Screening-identified Evidence of Celiac Disease

The aims of this study were to evaluate bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover markers in patients with type 1 diabetes and screening-identified evidence of celiac disease, i.e., celiac autoimmunity. We screened 50 consecutive type 1 diabetic patients for IgA antitissue transglutaminase to identify those with celiac autoimmunity. Eight seropositive patients were identified on this screening, and 12 patients matched for gender and age range were selected as a control group from among the type 1 diabetic patients without celiac autoimmunity. Patients and controls underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) for measurement of bone mineral status and had their blood levels of osteocalcin, carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX), calcium, and phosphorus determined. BMD was further adjusted for height, weight, and pubertal stage. Radiographic and blood markers of bone mineralization were compared between patients and controls. BMD (Z-score) at the lumbar spine was −1.44 ± 0.5 SD for patients and 0.04 ± 0.2 SD for controls (P = 0.02). Bone mineral content was 37.9 ± 4.5 g for patients and 49.4 ± 2.6 g for controls (P = 0.049). Adjusted BMD was −0.62 ± 0.5 SD for patients and 0.81 ± 0.09 SD for controls (P = 0.04). After adjustment, four patients and none of the controls presented BMD < −1 SD (P = 0.01). Osteocalcin, CTX, calcium, and phosphorus blood levels were not significantly different between patients and controls. Celiac autoimmunity is associated with reduced bone mineralization in type 1 diabetic patients. The pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical relevance of this finding remain to be further investigated.     

Assessing Fracture Risk and Effects of Osteoporosis Drugs: Bone Mineral Density and Beyond

Although there have been numerous advances in the assessment of bone strength and fracture risk, the majority of these techniques can only be performed in research laboratories, making them largely unavailable to practicing clinicians. Prospective epidemiologic studies have identified risk factors that can be assessed within the clinic and combined with bone mineral density to allow clinicians to better identify untreated individuals at heightened risk for fracture and to make informed treatment decisions based on 10-year absolute fracture risk. This article discusses the assessment of fracture risk in clinical practice, reviews currently and soon-available bone measurement tools, and details the impacts of osteoporosis therapies on fracture risk.     

Frequency of Low Bone Mineral Density in Saudi Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background/Aims:

Metabolic bone disease is common in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our aim was to determine the frequency of bone loss among Saudi patients with IBD and possible contributing risk factors.

Settings and Design:

We retrospectively reviewed Saudi patients with IBD, between 18 and 70 years of age, who had bone mass density (BMD) determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanning at one of three hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 2001 to 2008.

Patients and Methods:

Case notes and BMDs results were carefully reviewed for demographic and clinical data. Low bone mass, osteopenia, and osteoporosis were defined according to the WHO guidelines.

Statistical Analysis Used:

Predictive factors for BMD were analyzed using group comparisons and stepwise regression analyses.

Results:

Ninety-five patients were included; 46% had Crohn''s disease (CD) and 54% had ulcerative colitis (UC). The average age was 30.9±11.6 years. Using T-scores, the frequency of osteopenia was 44.2%, and the frequency of osteoporosis was 30.5% at both lumbar spine and proximal femur. Only 25.3% of patients exhibited a BMD within the normal range. Our results revealed a positive correlation between the Z-score in both the lumbar spine and the proximal femur and body mass index (BMI) (P=0.042 and P=0.018, respectively). On regression analysis BMI, age, and calcium supplementation were found to be the most important independent predictors of BMD.

Conclusions:

Saudi patients with IBD are at an increased risk of low BMD and the frequency of decreased BMD in Saudi patients with CD and UC were similar. BMI and age were the most important independent predictors of low BMD.