Serum homocysteine levels and the risk of Osteoporosis
Abstract
Introduction: Osteoporosis is a major health problem which has devastating health consequences through its association with osteoporotic fractures. Prevention of osteoporosis by identifying the risk factors is a major challenge in the field of medicine. Elevated homocysteine level in blood can be a potential risk factor for the development of osteoporosis. We aim to study if a person with high circulating level of homocysteine has a decreased Bone Mineral Density (BMD), thus establishing an association between homocysteine and the risk of developing osteoporosis.
Method: Patients between the age group of 40-70 years attending BMD camps between July 2015 and December 2015 were included in the study. All of them underwent BMD test and blood samples were sent to the laboratory for estimation of serum homocysteine levels. The results were collected and analyzed to see if there was any association between serum homocysteine levels and osteoporosis.
Results: Out of the 58 males and 20 females with normal BMD, none had elevated serum homocysteine. 21 out of the 58 males and 47 out of the 82 females with osteopenia had elevated serum homocysteine. Of the 27 males with osteoporosis, 25 had elevated serum homocysteine while among the 125 females with osteoporosis, all 125 had elevated serum homocysteine levels.
Conclusion: From our study we concluded that people with high circulating level of homocysteine had a decreased Bone Mineral Density (BMD), thus establishing an association between homocysteine and the risk of developing osteoporosis.
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References
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