Prevalence and risk factors for bone loss in Southern Chinese with rheumatic diseases

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Objectives: This study was to explore the prevalence of different severities of bone loss and the potential risk factors in rheumatic patients. Method: An analytical cross-sectional study design was performed. For the present study, 1,398 rheumatic patients and 302 healthy subjects were recruited and further accepted for data collection and blood and bone mineral density tests. Risk factors for bone loss in rheumatic patients were further analyzed by using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: (1) Rheumatic patients in this study are consisted of 40.0% rheumatoid arthritis, 14.7% systemic lupus erythematosus, 14.2% osteoarthritis, 9.2% ankylosing spondylosis, 7.9% gout, 7.0% primary Sjogren syndrome, 3.8% systemic sclerosis, and 3.2% mixed connective tissue disease. (2) In male patients aged under 50 and premenopausal female patients, the bone mineral density score of patients is lower than the healthy persons with the same gender and age (34.3% vs 18.2%， P =0.045). (3) Osteopenia and osteoporosis are more prevailing in male patients aged or older than 50 and postmenopausal female patients than healthy counterparts (92.7% vs 87.2%, P =0.017). (4) Regression analysis indicated that compared with a healthy population, those with systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylosis gained the highest odd ratio of ‘score below the expected range for age’, osteopenia and osteoporosis, respectively. (5) Hypovitaminosis D, ‘CRP elevated’ was commonly-associated with impaired bone mineral density in all rheumatic patients. Conclusion: Bone loss commonly occurs at any age in the setting of rheumatic diseases. Hypovitaminosis D, elevated CRP was probably commonly-associated with impaired BMD in all age groups of rheumatic patients.</jats:p>