Low Serum DHEAS Predicts Increased Fracture Risk in Older Men: The MrOS Sweden Study

Sex-specific association of serum dehydroepiandrosterone and its sulfate levels with osteoporosis in type 2 diabetes

INTRODUCTION

This study is to investigate the relation between serum dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate (DHEAS) levels and the risk of osteoporosis in patients with T2DM.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study involved 938 hospitalized patients with T2DM. Linear regression models were used to explore the relationship between DHEA and DHEAS and the BMD at different skeletal sites. Multinominal logistic regression models and the restricted cubic spline (RCS) were used to evaluate the associations of DHEA and DHEAS with the risks of osteopenia and/or osteoporosis.

RESULTS

In postmenopausal women with T2DM, after adjustment for confounders including testosterone and estradiol, DHEA showed a significant positive correlation with lumbar spine BMD (P = 0.013). Moreover, DHEAS exhibited significant positive correlations with BMD at three skeletal sites: including femoral neck, total hip, and lumbar spine (all P < 0.05). Low DHEA and DHEAS levels were associated with increased risk of osteopenia and/or osteoporosis (all P < 0.05) and the risk of osteoporosis gradually decreased with increasing DHEAS levels (P overall = 0.018, P-nonlinear = 0.559). However, DHEA and DHEAS levels in men over the age of 50 with T2DM were not associated with any of above outcomes.

CONCLUSION

In patients with T2DM, independent of testosterone and estradiol, higher DHEA and DHEAS levels are associated with higher BMD and lower risk of osteopenia/osteoporosis in postmenopausal women but not men over the age of 50.

A clinical prediction model for 10-year risk of self-reported osteoporosis diagnosis in pre- and perimenopausal women

A machine learning model using clinical, laboratory, and imaging data was developed to predict 10-year risk of menopause-related osteoporosis. The resulting predictions, which are sensitive and specific, highlight distinct clinical risk profiles that can be used to identify patients most likely to be diagnosed with osteoporosis.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to incorporate demographic, metabolic, and imaging risk factors into a model for long-term prediction of self-reported osteoporosis diagnosis.

METHODS

This was a secondary analysis of 1685 patients from the longitudinal Study of Women's Health Across the Nation using data collected between 1996 and 2008. Participants were pre- or perimenopausal women between 42 and 52 years of age. A machine learning model was trained using 14 baseline risk factors-age, height, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, race, menopausal status, maternal osteoporosis history, maternal spine fracture history, serum estradiol level, serum dehydroepiandrosterone level, serum thyroid-stimulating hormone level, total spine bone mineral density, and total hip bone mineral density. The self-reported outcome was whether a doctor or other provider had told participants they have osteoporosis or treated them for osteoporosis.

RESULTS

At 10-year follow-up, a clinical osteoporosis diagnosis was reported by 113 (6.7%) women. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the model was 0.83 (95% confidence interval, 0.73-0.91) and Brier score was 0.054 (95% confidence interval, 0.035-0.074). Total spine bone mineral density, total hip bone mineral density, and age had the largest contributions to predicted risk. Using two discrimination thresholds, stratification into low, medium, and high risk, respectively, was associated with likelihood ratios of 0.23, 3.2, and 6.8. At the lower threshold, sensitivity was 0.81, and specificity was 0.82.

CONCLUSION

The model developed in this analysis integrates clinical data, serum biomarker levels, and bone mineral densities to predict 10-year risk of osteoporosis with good performance.

Adrenal aging and its effects on the stress response and immunosenescence

Normal aging is linked to various endocrine gland changes, including changes in the adrenal glands. Aging is linked to alterations of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, including an increase in cortisol levels, a disruption of the negative cortisol feedback, and attenuation of cortisol's diurnal pattern. In addition, secretion of aldosterone and adrenal androgens [dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA sulfate (DHEAS)] from the adrenal cortex decreases with aging. In this review, we describe normal adrenal function, the adrenal response to stress and immunomodulation in aging individuals as well as the effects of adrenal aging on body composition, metabolic profile, bone health and cognition.

Dehydroepiandrosterone status and efficacy of dehydroepiandrosterone supplementation for bone health in anorexia nervosa: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

This study was designed to determine the status of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in women with anorexia nervosa (AN) and to assess the efficacy of DHEA supplementation as a treatment for bone health in women with AN.

METHOD

Studies were retrieved from the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and Scopus databases from inception to February 14, 2022. Observational studies that compared serum DHEA levels between women with AN and healthy controls were included for meta-analysis, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effects of DHEA supplementation on bone mass were reviewed.

RESULTS

Meta-analysis of 15 cross-sectional studies revealed that patients with AN had significantly elevated serum DHEA levels (mean difference (MD) = 311.63 ng/dl; 95% confidence interval (CI), 78.01-545.25) and reduced DHEAS levels (MD = -24.90 μg/dl; 95% CI, -41.72 to -8.07) compared with healthy controls. A systematic review of seven RCTs found that DHEA monotherapy does not improve bone mineral density (BMD) compared with placebo after adjusting for weight gain. While the combination of DHEA and conjugated oral contraceptives has led to increased bone strength and decreased bone loss, the beneficial effect appears to be limited to older adolescents and adults with closed physes. Potential detrimental effects on BMD were identified in younger adolescents with open physes in one study.

DISCUSSION

Due to the lack of apparent benefit of DHEA in women with AN and its potential detrimental effect on BMD in young patients with AN, current evidence does not support the use of DHEA.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE

This study demonstrates that women with anorexia nervosa have abnormal levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), which have been suggested by previous studies to play a role in the development of low bone density in this condition. However, current evidence does not support the use of DHEA as a treatment to preserve bone health in patients with anorexia nervosa given the lack of clear benefit following its use and also because of a potential detrimental effect on bone mineral density in young patients with anorexia nervosa.

Protective Role of DHEAS in Age-related Changes in Bone Mass and Fracture Risk

PURPOSE

Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) from the adrenal cortex substantially decreases with age, which may accelerate osteoporosis. However, the association of DHEAS with bone mineral density (BMD) and fracture is inconclusive. We conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to investigate the role of DHEAS in age-related changes in BMD and fracture risk.

METHODS

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with serum DHEAS concentrations were used as instrumental variables (4 SNPs for main analysis; 4 SNPs for men and 5 SNPs for women in sex-related analysis). Summary statistics were obtained from relevant genome-wide association studies.

RESULTS

A log-transformed unit (µmol/L) increase in serum DHEAS concentrations was associated with an SD increase in estimated BMD at the heel (estimate, 0.120; 95% CI, 0.081-0.158; P = 9 × 10-10), and decreased fracture (odds ratio, 0.989; 95% CI, 0.981-0.996; P = 0.005), consistent with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-derived BMD at the femoral neck and lumbar spine. Their associations remained even after adjusting for height, body mass index, testosterone, estradiol, sex hormone-binding globulin, and insulin-like growth factor 1. The association of DHEAS with fracture remained after adjusting for falls, grip strength, and physical activity but was attenuated after adjusting for BMD. The MR-Bayesian model averaging analysis showed BMD was the top mediating factor for association of DHEAS with fracture. The association between DHEAS and BMD was observed in men but not in women.

CONCLUSION

DHEAS was associated with increased BMD and decreased fracture. DHEAS may play a protective role in decreasing fracture risk, mainly by increasing bone mass.

Improved prediction of fracture risk leveraging a genome-wide polygenic risk score

BACKGROUND

Accurately quantifying the risk of osteoporotic fracture is important for directing appropriate clinical interventions. While skeletal measures such as heel quantitative speed of sound (SOS) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry bone mineral density are able to predict the risk of osteoporotic fracture, the utility of such measurements is subject to the availability of equipment and human resources. Using data from 341,449 individuals of white British ancestry, we previously developed a genome-wide polygenic risk score (PRS), called gSOS, that captured 25.0% of the total variance in SOS. Here, we test whether gSOS can improve fracture risk prediction.

METHODS

We examined the predictive power of gSOS in five genome-wide genotyped cohorts, including 90,172 individuals of European ancestry and 25,034 individuals of Asian ancestry. We calculated gSOS for each individual and tested for the association between gSOS and incident major osteoporotic fracture and hip fracture. We tested whether adding gSOS to the risk prediction models had added value over models using other commonly used clinical risk factors.

RESULTS

A standard deviation decrease in gSOS was associated with an increased odds of incident major osteoporotic fracture in populations of European ancestry, with odds ratios ranging from 1.35 to 1.46 in four cohorts. It was also associated with a 1.26-fold (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13-1.41) increased odds of incident major osteoporotic fracture in the Asian population. We demonstrated that gSOS was more predictive of incident major osteoporotic fracture (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) = 0.734; 95% CI 0.727-0.740) and incident hip fracture (AUROC = 0.798; 95% CI 0.791-0.805) than most traditional clinical risk factors, including prior fracture, use of corticosteroids, rheumatoid arthritis, and smoking. We also showed that adding gSOS to the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) could refine the risk prediction with a positive net reclassification index ranging from 0.024 to 0.072.

CONCLUSIONS

We generated and validated a PRS for SOS which was associated with the risk of fracture. This score was more strongly associated with the risk of fracture than many clinical risk factors and provided an improvement in risk prediction. gSOS should be explored as a tool to improve risk stratification to identify individuals at high risk of fracture.

DHEA in bone: the role in osteoporosis and fracture healing

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a metabolic intermediate in the biosynthesis of estrogens and androgens with a past clouded in controversy and bold claims. It was once touted as a wonder drug, a fountain of youth that could cure all ailments. However, in the 1980s DHEA was banned by the FDA given a lack of documented health benefits and long-term use data. DHEA had a revival in 1994 when it was released for open market sale as a nutritional supplement under the Dietary Supplement Health and Safety Act. Since that time, there has been encouraging research on the hormone, including randomized controlled trials and subsequent meta-analyses on various conditions that DHEA may benefit. Bone health has been of particular interest, as many of the metabolites of DHEA are known to be involved in bone homeostasis, specifically estrogen and testosterone. Studies demonstrate a significant association between DHEA and increased bone mineral density, likely due to DHEA's ability to increase osteoblast activity and insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) expression. Interestingly, IGF-1 is also known to improve fracture healing, though DHEA, a potent stimulator of IGF-1, has never been tested in this scenario. The aim of this review is to discuss the history and mechanisms of DHEA as they relate to the skeletal system, and to evaluate if DHEA has any role in treating fractures.

New Developments in Fracture Risk Assessment for Current Osteoporosis Reports

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Identifying individuals at high fracture risk can be used to target those likely to derive the greatest benefit from treatment. This narrative review examines recent developments in using specific risk factors used to assess fracture risk, with a focus on publications in the last 3 years.

RECENT FINDINGS

There is expanding evidence for the recognition of individual clinical risk factors and clinical use of composite scores in the general population. Unfortunately, enthusiasm is dampened by three pragmatic randomized trials that raise questions about the effectiveness of widespread population screening using clinical fracture prediction tools given suboptimal participation and adherence. There have been refinements in risk assessment in special populations: men, patients with diabetes, and secondary causes of osteoporosis. New evidence supports the value of vertebral fracture assessment (VFA), high resolution peripheral quantitative CT (HR-pQCT), opportunistic screening using CT, skeletal strength assessment with finite element analysis (FEA), and trabecular bone score (TBS). The last 3 years have seen important developments in the area of fracture risk assessment, both in the research setting and translation to clinical practice. The next challenge will be incorporating these advances into routine work flows that can improve the identification of high risk individuals at the population level and meaningfully impact the ongoing crisis in osteoporosis management.

Increased risk for hip fracture after death of a spouse-further support for bereavement frailty?

Death of a spouse is associated with poorer physical and mental health. We followed all married individuals, born from 1902 to 1942, during the period from 1987 to 2002, and found that widows and widowers had higher risk for hip fracture, compared with still married women and men.

INTRODUCTION

Spousal bereavement can lead to poorer physical and mental health. We aimed to determine whether married women and men had an elevated risk of hip fracture after death of a spouse.

METHODS

In a retrospective cohort study, we followed all Swedish married individuals aged 60 to 100 years (n = 1,783,035), from 1987 to 2002. Data are presented as mean with 95% confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS

During the follow-up period, 21,305 hip fractures among widows and 6538 hip fractures among widowers were noted. The hazard ratio (HR) for hip fracture in widows compared with married women was 1.34 (95% CI 1.31 to 1.37) and for widowers compared with married men 1.32 (95% CI 1.29 to 1.35). The HR for hip fracture in the first 6 months after death of a spouse was in widows compared with married women 1.62 (95% CI 1.53 to 1.71) and in widowers compared with married men 1.84 (95% CI 1.68 to 2.03). The elevated risk was especially prominent in young widowers in the age range 60-69 years. During the first 6 months they showed a HR of 2.76 (95% CI 1.66 to 4.58) for a hip fractvure compared with age matched married men. Widows aged 60-69 years showed a HR of 1.59 (95% CI 1.26 to 1.99) compared with age matched married women.

CONCLUSION

Our observation of a higher hip fracture risk in both genders in connection with the death of a spouse indicates a possible effect of bereavement on frailty.

Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate and Free Testosterone but not Estradiol are Related to Muscle Strength and Bone Microarchitecture in Older Adults

The study aimed to elucidate the relationship between sex steroids and muscle mass, muscle strength, and trabecular bone score (TBS) in a community-dwelling aged population. We analyzed 922 men > 60 years of age and 1244 postmenopausal women. Weak muscle strength was defined as hand grip strength < 26 kg for men and < 18 kg for women, whereas degraded bone microarchitecture was defined as a TBS ≤ 1.2. The mean age was 70.2 ± 6.8 years for men and 71.2 ± 6.7 years for women. Participants within higher dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and free testosterone (FT) tertiles were likely to be younger, have greater muscle mass, and have stronger hand grip strength. Based on logistic regression models, men within the lowest FT tertile had weaker muscle strength compared to those in the highest tertile (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.28; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.33-3.91). Women within the lowest DHEAS and FT tertile had weaker muscle strength compared to those in the highest tertile (adjusted OR for DHEAS 1.42; 95% CI 1.02-1.99; adjusted OR for FT 1.77, 95% CI 1.26-2.48). Moreover, men within the lowest FT tertile exhibited degraded bone microarchitecture compared to those in the highest tertile (adjusted OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.46-4.51). However, estradiol was not related to muscle strength or bone microarchitecture in both sexes. In conclusion, in aged men, serum FT was closely associated with muscle strength and bone microarchitecture and in postmenopausal women, serum DHEAS and FT were related to muscle strength.

Serum DHEA and Its Sulfate Are Associated With Incident Fall Risk in Older Men: The MrOS Sweden Study

The adrenal-derived hormones dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate (DHEAS) are the most abundant circulating hormones and their levels decline substantially with age. Many of the actions of DHEAS are considered to be mediated through metabolism into androgens and estrogens in peripheral target tissues. The predictive value of serum DHEA and DHEAS for the likelihood of falling is unknown. The aim of this study was, therefore, to assess the associations between baseline DHEA and DHEAS levels and incident fall risk in a large cohort of older men. Serum DHEA and DHEAS levels were analyzed with mass spectrometry in the population-based Osteoporotic Fractures in Men study in Sweden (n = 2516, age 69 to 81 years). Falls were ascertained every 4 months by mailed questionnaires. Associations between steroid hormones and falls were estimated by generalized estimating equations. During a mean follow-up of 2.7 years, 968 (38.5%) participants experienced a fall. High serum levels of both DHEA (odds ratio [OR] per SD increase 0.85; 95% CI, 0.78 to 0.92) and DHEAS (OR 0.88, 95% CI, 0.81 to 0.95) were associated with a lower incident fall risk in models adjusted for age, BMI, and prevalent falls. Further adjustment for serum sex steroids or age-related comorbidities only marginally attenuated the associations between DHEA or DHEAS and the likelihood of falling. Moreover, the point estimates for DHEA and DHEAS were only slightly reduced after adjustment for lean mass and/or grip strength. Also, the addition of the narrow walk test did not substantially alter the associations between serum DHEA or DHEAS and fall risk. Finally, the association with incident fall risk remained significant for DHEA but not for DHEAS after simultaneous adjustment for lean mass, grip strength, and the narrow walk test. This suggests that the associations between DHEA and DHEAS and falls are only partially mediated via muscle mass, muscle strength, and/or balance. In conclusion, older men with high DHEA or DHEAS levels have a lesser likelihood of a fall. © 2018 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Dehydroepiandrosterone and Bone

In humans, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), secreted mainly from the adrenal cortex, and its sulfate ester, DHEAS, are the most abundant circulating steroids. DHEA/DHEAS possess pleiotropic effects in human aging, bone, metabolic diseases, neurologic function/neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, immune system and disorders, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, muscle function, sexual dysfunction, and other health conditions. The age-related reduced levels of DHEA and DHEAS are associated with bone mineral density measures of osteopenia and osteoporosis. Clinical, epidemiological, and experimental studies indicate that DHEA replacement therapy may be beneficial for bone health through its inhibition of skeletal catabolic IL-6 and stimulation of osteoanabolic IGF-I-mediated mechanisms. Studies with primary cultures of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) were used to show that DHEA stimulates osteoblastogenesis. The in vitro stimulation of both osteoblastogenesis and IGF-I gene expression by DHEA in hMSCs requires IGF-I receptor, PI3K, p38 MAPK, or p42/44 MAPK signaling pathways. The in vitro inhibition of IL-6 secretion in hMSCs by DHEA was more consistent and extensive than by estradiol or dihydrotestosterone. In summary, evidence from us and others indicates that DHEA may be useful for treating bone diseases through its inhibition of skeletal catabolic IL-6 and stimulation of anabolic IGF-I-mediated mechanisms.

Sex hormones and quantitative ultrasound parameters at the heel in men and women from the general population

Purpose/introduction

The present study investigates potential associations between liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) measured sex hormones, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and bone ultrasound parameters at the heel in men and women from the general population.

Methods

Data from 502 women and 425 men from the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-TREND) were used. Cross-sectional associations of sex hormones including testosterone (TT), calculated free testosterone (FT), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), androstenedione (ASD), estrone (E1) and SHBG with quantitative ultrasound (QUS) parameters at the heel, including broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA), speed of sound (SOS) and stiffness index (SI) were examined by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariable quantile regression models.

Results

Multivariable regression analysis showed a sex-specific inverse association of DHEAS with SI in men (Beta per SI unit = − 3.08, standard error (SE) = 0.88), but not in women (Beta = − 0.01, SE = 2.09). Furthermore, FT was positively associated with BUA in men (Beta per BUA unit = 29.0, SE = 10.1). None of the other sex hormones (ASD, E1) or SHBG was associated with QUS parameters after multivariable adjustment.

Conclusions

This cross-sectional population-based study revealed independent associations of DHEAS and FT with QUS parameters in men, suggesting a potential influence on male bone metabolism. The predictive role of DHEAS and FT as a marker for osteoporosis in men warrants further investigation in clinical trials and large-scale observational studies.

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Population-based data of healthy men and women from the general population

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Sex hormone panel measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)

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Associations of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate and free testosterone with bone ultrasound parameters in men

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Estrone, androstenedione and SHBG were not associated with bone ultrasound parameters in both sexes.