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Bone Metabolism in a Large Cohort of Patients with Systemic Sclerosis

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate in a large size cohort of SSc patients bone mineral density (BMD) and to analyze its possible determinants. 106 consecutive outpatients affected by SSc were enrolled and completely evaluated for bone metabolism and SSc characteristics. For the statistical analysis, we preferred Z score to BMD or T score since the population was composed of patients of different ages and of both sexes. Mean neck Z score was significantly lower than 0. No significant differences were found for other sites. Female patients were shown to have a total femur and neck Z score significantly lower than 0 (p = 0.028 and p < 0.001, respectively). 13 % of patients had at least one morphometric non-clinical vertebral fracture. In univariate analysis, total femur Z score was lower in female (p = 0.050) and positively correlates with BMI (p = 0.001), neck Z score positively correlates with age (p = 0.016), and whole body Z score positively correlates with BMI (p < 0.001). No correlations were found for lumbar Z score. The multivariate analysis confirmed the positive correlation between BMI and total femur and whole body Z score and between age and neck femur Z score (p = 0.005, p < 0.001 and p = 0.040, respectively). Lung involvement was shown to correlate with a lower whole body Z score in multivariate analysis (p = 0.037). We found a modest risk of low BMD in patients with SSc and the important protective role of BMI. Patients with lung involvement showed lower whole body Z score.

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Acknowledgments

This study was performed in collaboration with the LURM (Laboratorio Universitario di Ricerca Medica), Research Center, University of Verona.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unità di Reumatologia, Policlinico G.B. Rossi, University of Verona, Piazzale Scuro, 37134, Verona, Italy

    Cristian Caimmi, Paola Caramaschi, Giovanni Barausse, Giovanni Orsolini, Luca Idolazzi, Davide Gatti, Ombretta Viapiana, Silvano Adami, Domenico Biasi & Maurizio Rossini

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  1. Cristian Caimmi
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  2. Paola Caramaschi
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  3. Giovanni Barausse
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  4. Giovanni Orsolini
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  5. Luca Idolazzi
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  6. Davide Gatti
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  7. Ombretta Viapiana
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Correspondence to Cristian Caimmi.

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Conflict of Interest

Cristian Caimmi, Paola Caramaschi, Giovanni Barausse, Giovanni Orsolini, Luca Idolazzi, Davide Gatti, Ombretta Viapiana, Silvano Adami, Domenico Biasi, and Maurizio Rossini declare no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional Italian research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Caimmi, C., Caramaschi, P., Barausse, G. et al. Bone Metabolism in a Large Cohort of Patients with Systemic Sclerosis. Calcif Tissue Int 99, 23–29 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-016-0119-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-016-0119-5

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