Clinical Factors Associated With Trabecular Bone Score in Koreans: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: The objective of our study was to examine the clinical factors associated with bone microarchitecture in Koreans. To the best of our knowledge, only a few studies have investigated these factors. Methods: Data from patients who underwent a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan at Seoul National University Hospital health promotion center between November 2014 and March 2015 were collected. The study population was divided into 2 groups, according to the patient's trabecular bone score (TBS) as follows: normal TBS ≥1.35 (n=700) and low TBS ＜1.35 (n=154). Intergroup comparison was carried out using the Student t-test and chi-square test. Logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age and body mass index (BMI), was applied to investigate the factors associated with TBS. Results: Data from 854 men and women were analyzed. Our results showed that TBS was inversely associated with age, BMI, waist circumference, serum phosphorus level (P), serum alkaline phosphatase level (ALP), serum C-terminal telopeptide (CTX), serum triglycerides (TG), serum C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and white blood count (WBC). Bone mineral density (BMD) was positively related to TBS. BMD, waist circumference, and serum ALP had an association with TBS in both men and women, after adjusting for age and BMI. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that obese patients (especially those with abdominal obesity) have worse bone microarchitecture. Serum P, ALP, CTX, TG, CRP, ESR, and WBC might have a negative association with TBS. Further studies are needed to clarify these findings.

Keywords

• Bone Density
• Waist circumference
• Abdominal obesity
• Phosphorus
• Alkaline phosphatase