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Association of Endogenous Hormones and Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women
Pascual García-Alfaro1, Sandra García1, Ignacio Rodriguez1
1Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproduction, University Hospital Dexeus, Barcelona, Spain.
Aim:
The aim of this study was to examine the association between endogenous hormones and bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women.
Materials And Methods:
This was a cross-sectional study of 798 postmenopausal women aged 47-85 years. Data were collected on age, age at menopause, years since menopause, smoking status, body mass index, adiposity, BMD, physical activity, and Vitamin D supplementation. Measured hormonal parameters were: follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, ∆4-androstenedione, cortisol, insulin-like growth factor-1, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and parathormone (PTH) levels. BMD was measured at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total hip using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. A directed acyclic graph was used to select potential confounding variables.
Results:
Multivariable analysis showed significant associations between cortisol and femoral neck BMD (β: -0.02, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.03--0.00), and PTH with femoral neck BMD (β: -0.01, 95% CI: -0.02--0.01) and total hip BMD (β: -0.01, 95% CI: -0.01--0.00). Hormonal factors more likely associated with a higher risk of low BMD (osteopenia or osteoporosis) were FSH (odds ratio [OR]: 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01-1.03) and PTH (OR: 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01-1.04).
Conclusions:
Higher cortisol and PTH levels were inversely associated with BMD. Postmenopausal women with higher FSH or PTH levels were likely to have low BMD.
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