Table 2.
Bone turnover markers and bone status evaluated with DXA and pQCT in SSc patients and controls
| Parameter | SSc (n = 44) | Control (n = 33) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bone turnover parameters | |||
| Total calcium (mmol/L; mean ± SD) | 2.41 ± 0.14 | 2.32 ± 0.11 | 0.001 |
| PTH (pmol/L; mean ± SD) | 5.47 ± 2.84 | 4.14 ± 1.38 | 0.008 |
| OC (μg/L; mean ± SD) | 22.22 ± 9.54 | 25.2 ± 7.76 | 0.075 |
| CTX-I (μg/L; mean ± SD) | 0.359 ± 0.193 | 0.28 ± 0.2 | 0.051 |
| P1NP (μg/L; mean ± SD) | 49.38 ± 24.47 | 43.2 ± 21.9 | 0.135 |
| 25OH D (nmol/L; mean ± SD) | 53.96 ± 36.80 | 53.46 ± 16.35 | 0.47 |
| 25OH levels < 75 nmol/L (n; %) | 32 (73%) | 30 (91%) | 0.06 |
| 25OH levels < 50 nmol/L (n; %) | 26 (60%) | 13 (39.3%) | 0.003 |
| FRAX | |||
| Hip fracture (%; mean ± SD) | 4.00 ± 4.36 | 2.31 ± 2.49 | 0.049 |
| Major fracture (%; mean ± SD) | 13.48 ± 8.03 | 9.28 ± 5.13 | 0.009 |
| BMD | |||
| Lumbar spine (L2–4; g/cm2; mean ± SD) | 0.880 ± 0.108 | 0.996 ± 0.181 | 0.019 |
| Femoral neck (FN; g/cm2; mean ± SD) | 0.786 ± 0.134 | 0.91 ± 0.09 | 0.007 |
| T-score | |||
| Lumbar spine (L2–4; mean ± SD) | − 1.64 ± 1.48 | − 0.50 ± 0.92 | 0.005 |
| Femoral neck (FN; mean ± SD) | − 1.78 ± 1.01 | − 0.44 ± 0.84 | < 0.001 |
| Femoral neck | |||
| Osteoporosis (n; %) | 10 (22.7%) | 0 (0%) | 0.004 |
| Osteopenia (n; %) | 23 (52.2%) | 15 (45.4%) | 0.009 |
| Lumbar spine | |||
| Osteoporosis (n; %) | 10 (22.7%) | 0 (0%) | 0.004 |
| Osteopenia (n; %) | 16 (36.3%) | 19 (57.5%) | 0.106 |
| Distal radius pQCT | |||
| Total density (mg/cm3; mean ± SD) | 248.42 ± 70.94 | 347.94 ± 40.16 | < 0.001 |
| Cortical density (mg/cm3; mean ± SD) | 328.03 ± 103.32 | 487.06 ± 42.45 | < 0.001 |
| Trabecular density (mgcm3; mean ± SD) | 150.93 ± 61.91 | 184.76 ± 33.03 | 0.037 |
Abbreviations: BMD bone mineral density, CTX C-terminal telopeptides of type 1 collagen, D100 total volumetric BMD, Dcort volumetric cortical BMD, Dtrab volumetric trabecular BMD, FRAX fracture risk assessment tool, OC osteocalcin, P1NP total procollagen type I amino-terminal propeptide, pQCT peripheral quantitative computed tomography, PTH parathyroid hormone. See text for further explanations