Study of Correlation of Bone Mineral Density with Severity of Liver Cirrhosis

Liver cirrhosis is a common ailment that is widely prevalent in our country and across the world. There are several manifestations of this disease. Metabolic bone disease also has an association with cirrhosis. The present study was designed to study the correlation between bone mineral density (BMD) and the severity of liver cirrhosis.

This was a case-control study. A total of 35 diagnosed cases of liver cirrhosis and 35 age and sex-matched controls were included in the study. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) at the hip joint and lumbar spine. Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score was used for assessing the severity of liver cirrhosis.

Out of the 35 cases of cirrhosis, 25 had either osteopenia or osteoporosis. The mean T-score at the hip joint in cases was -1.47 ± 1.62 and in controls, it was -0.56 ± 1.67 (p < 0.001). The mean T-score detected in the lumbar spine was -1.33 ± 1.66 and in controls -0.41 ± 1.67 (p < 0.001). There was a significant inverse correlation between CTP scores and BMD.

The present study revealed that abnormal BMD is highly prevalent in patients with liver cirrhosis. There is also a significant relationship between the severity of cirrhosis and BMD.