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Plasma Level of Homocysteine Associated with Severe Vertebral Fracture in Postmenopausal Women

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Abstract

The aim of this cross-sectional cohort study was to clarify risk factors for severe vertebral fractures in postmenopausal Japanese women. Subjects were ambulatory volunteers age over 50 years who were recruited from a population of outpatients at a primary care institute. At registration, age, body mass index (BMI), bone mineral density (BMD), and present illness were investigated. Biochemical parameters including urinary levels of type I collagen cross-linked N-telopeptides (NTXs), and pentosidine and plasma levels of homocysteine were measured. Values were compared with different fracture grades (grade 0–3). A total of 1,475 postmenopausal women (66.6 ± 9.0 years) were included in the present study. Distributions of vertebral fracture grades were grade 1, 137 cases (9.3 %); grade 2, 124 cases (8.4 %); and grade 3, 162 cases (11.0 %). Age, BMI, BMD, NTX, pentosidine, and homocysteine were significantly associated with vertebral fracture in unadjusted analysis. In addition, a higher prevalence of hypertension was observed in patients with severe fracture. When comparing vertebral fracture grade 0 versus grade 2–3 by multiple regression analysis, pentosidine and homocysteine levels were a significant risk for moderate/severe vertebral fracture (odds ratio [OR] = 1.17, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.00–1.38, p = 0.049; OR = 1.22, 95 % CI 1.03–1.46, p = 0.013). Homocysteine levels were also a significant risk when comparing vertebral fracture grade 0 versus grade 3 (OR = 1.27, 95 % CI 1.04–1.58, p = 0.021). Plasma level of homocysteine was an independent risk for severe vertebral fractures.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by a Grant-in-aid from the Japan Osteoporosis Foundation and a Grant-in-aid for comprehensive research on aging and health from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare of Japan. The authors thank Dr. Toshitaka Nakamura for valuable discussions regarding this report and Mr. Yasushi Yamazaki for excellent support with the measurements of biochemical indices.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Public Health Research Foundation, 1-1-7 Nishiwaseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-0051, Japan

    Tatsuhiko Kuroda

  2. Department of Pharmacoepidemiology, Graduate School of Medicine and Public Health, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Shiro Tanaka

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8, Nishi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan

    Mitsuru Saito

  4. Research Institute and Practice for Involutional Diseases, 1610-1, Meisei, Misato, Azumino, Nagano, 399-8101, Japan

    Yumiko Shiraki & Masataka Shiraki

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  1. Tatsuhiko Kuroda
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  2. Shiro Tanaka
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  3. Mitsuru Saito
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Correspondence to Tatsuhiko Kuroda.

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Kuroda, T., Tanaka, S., Saito, M. et al. Plasma Level of Homocysteine Associated with Severe Vertebral Fracture in Postmenopausal Women. Calcif Tissue Int 93, 269–275 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-013-9754-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-013-9754-2

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