Validation of a novel risk estimation tool for predicting low bone density in Caucasian and African American men veterans

Performance of Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool (OST) in Predicting Osteoporosis-A Review

Bone health screening plays a vital role in the early diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis to prevent fragility fractures among the elderly and high-risk individuals. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), which detects bone mineral density, is the gold standard in diagnosing osteoporosis but is not suitable for screening. Therefore, many screening tools have been developed to identify individuals at risk for osteoporosis and prioritize them for DXA scanning. The Osteoporosis Self-assessment Tool (OST) is among the first tools established to predict osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. It can identify the population at risk for osteoporosis, but its performance varies according to ethnicity, gender, and age. Thus, these factors should be considered to ensure the optimal use of OST worldwide. Overall, OST is a simple and economical screening tool to predict osteoporosis and it can help to optimize the use of DXA.

Development and Validation of Osteoporosis Risk-Assessment Model for Korean Men

PURPOSE

The aim of the present study was to develop an osteoporosis risk-assessment model to identify high-risk individuals among Korean men.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study used data from 1340 and 1110 men ≥50 years who participated in the 2009 and 2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, respectively, for development and validation of an osteoporosis risk-assessment model. Osteoporosis was defined as T score ≤-2.5 at either the femoral neck or lumbar spine. Performance of the candidate models and the Osteoporosis Self-assessment Tool for Asian (OSTA) was compared with sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC). A net reclassification improvement was further calculated to compare the developed Korean Osteoporosis Risk-Assessment Model for Men (KORAM-M) with OSTA.

RESULTS

In the development dataset, the prevalence of osteoporosis was 8.1%. KORAM-M, consisting of age and body weight, had a sensitivity of 90.8%, a specificity of 42.4%, and an AUC of 0.666 with a cut-off score of -9. In the validation dataset, similar results were shown: sensitivity 87.9%, specificity 39.7%, and AUC 0.638. Additionally, risk categorization with KORAM-M showed improved reclassification over that of OSTA up to 22.8%.

CONCLUSION

KORAM-M can be simply used as a pre-screening tool to identify candidates for dual energy X-ray absorptiometry tests.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the performance of clinical risk assessment instruments for screening for osteoporosis or low bone density

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the performance of clinical risk assessment instruments for screening for DXA-determined osteoporosis or low bone density. Commonly evaluated risk instruments showed high sensitivity approaching or exceeding 90% at particular thresholds within various populations but low specificity at thresholds required for high sensitivity. Simpler instruments, such as OST, generally performed as well as or better than more complex instruments.

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the study is to systematically review the performance of clinical risk assessment instruments for screening for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-determined osteoporosis or low bone density.

METHODS

Systematic review and meta-analysis were performed. Multiple literature sources were searched, and data extracted and analyzed from included references.

RESULTS

One hundred eight references met inclusion criteria. Studies assessed many instruments in 34 countries, most commonly the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool (OST), the Simple Calculated Osteoporosis Risk Estimation (SCORE) instrument, the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Asians (OSTA), the Osteoporosis Risk Assessment Instrument (ORAI), and body weight criteria. Meta-analyses of studies evaluating OST using a cutoff threshold of <1 to identify US postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at the femoral neck provided summary sensitivity and specificity estimates of 89% (95%CI 82-96%) and 41% (95%CI 23-59%), respectively. Meta-analyses of studies evaluating OST using a cutoff threshold of 3 to identify US men with osteoporosis at the femoral neck, total hip, or lumbar spine provided summary sensitivity and specificity estimates of 88% (95%CI 79-97%) and 55% (95%CI 42-68%), respectively. Frequently evaluated instruments each had thresholds and populations for which sensitivity for osteoporosis or low bone mass detection approached or exceeded 90% but always with a trade-off of relatively low specificity.

CONCLUSIONS

Commonly evaluated clinical risk assessment instruments each showed high sensitivity approaching or exceeding 90% for identifying individuals with DXA-determined osteoporosis or low BMD at certain thresholds in different populations but low specificity at thresholds required for high sensitivity. Simpler instruments, such as OST, generally performed as well as or better than more complex instruments.

Bone mineral density patterns in vitamin D deficient African American men with sickle cell disease

OBJECTIVE

To describe bone mineral density (BMD) patterns by densitometry in adult African American (AA) men with sickle cell disease (SCD) who are vitamin D deficient (Vit DD).

INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA

All SCD phenotypes were eligible. Those with chronic renal failure or hyperparathyroidism were excluded.

DATA COLLECTION

Demographics, body mass index and SCD genotype.

LABORATORY

Albumin, ferritin, calcium, phosphorus, 25-hydroxy vitamin D and intact-parathyroid hormone were obtained. BMD, T and Z scores: T scores at the lumbar spine were used to categorize normal, osteopenia and osteoporosis based on World Health Organization criteria.

STATISTICAL ANALYSES

Mean ± standard deviation was used to describe continuous data, whereas categorical data were described by counts and percentages. The χ test was used to analyze categorical variables; Student's t test or one-way analysis of variance, when appropriate, was used to compare continuous variables. Rates of osteopenia-osteoporosis were determined, and the parameter with 95% confidence interval (CI) of a proportion was constructed. All tests were 2-sided, and a P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. We used StatView Version 5.01 (SAS institute Inc, Cary, NC) for the statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Seventy-eight AA men with SCD disease and Vit DD were enrolled in this study. We found that 42% of the men studied had low-BMD (osteopenia or osteoporosis) using T scores at the lumbar spine to establish densitometry strata. The prevalence of osteoporosis was 14%.

CONCLUSIONS

A large proportion of adult AA men with SCD and Vit DD showed low BMD.

Validation of the osteoporosis self-assessment tool in US male veterans

The osteoporosis self-assessment tool (OST) is a screening instrument that uses age and weight as parameters to predict the risk of osteoporosis. This study was designed to evaluate OST in predicting osteoporosis in males. Male veterans aged 50yr and older with no prior diagnosis of osteoporosis and no prior bone densitometry (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry [DXA]) testing were eligible for the study. Sociodemographic information, medical history, and risk factors for osteoporosis were recorded. Anthropometric measurements were taken and DXA testing performed. The OST index for each subject was calculated and predictive values and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were evaluated for OST and osteoporosis. Five hundred eighteen subjects underwent DXA, 92 (17.8%) had osteoporosis, 281 (54.2%) had low bone mass, and 145 (28.0%) had normal bone mineral density. The OST index ranged from -8 to 23 with a mean of 4 (standard deviation ± 4.3). An OST index of 6 or lower predicted osteoporosis with a sensitivity of 82.6%, specificity of 33.6%, and an area under the curve for the ROC curve of 0.67. OST index performed better in non-Hispanic whites and males >65 yr. OST predicts osteoporosis with moderate sensitivity and poor specificity in men.

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and evaluation of the osteoporosis self-assessment tool in men with rheumatoid arthritis

Males with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at risk for osteoporosis but infrequently undergo dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). We examined the frequency of DXA in males enrolled in the Veterans Affairs Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry. The Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool (OST) index, a formula using age and weight, was calculated for all subjects. DXA was performed on 282 (35.5%) of the males who were younger (p < 0.01), had lower mean OST index score (p < 0.05), and were more likely to have been prescribed prednisone (p < 0.01) than subjects without DXA. Low bone mass (T-score < -1) was present in 73% of subjects with DXA; 37% of subjects with low-risk OST index scores had normal bone mineral density (BMD) compared with 5.6% of those with high-risk OST index scores (p < 0.01). There was a significant but modest correlation between BMD and the OST index (r = 0.17, p < 0.01). No OST score had a sensitivity and specificity of more than 80%. Association between OST index and BMD was strongest in non-Hispanic whites, subjects older than 60 yr, and smokers. DXA was underutilized in males with RA. The OST index correlated with low bone mass but could not reliably predict osteoporosis in this population.