High prevalence of osteoporosis in patients undergoing spine surgery in China

The Canal Bone Ratio: A Novel Indicator for Opportunistic Osteoporosis Screening in Adult Spinal Deformity Patients Through Radiographs

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective diagnostic study.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the utility of quantitative assessment of bone density using proximal femoral morphological parameters based on full-spine x-rays.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA

CT and MRI are commonly utilized methods for opportunistic assessment of bone density. However, there is currently a lack of means to quantitatively assess bone density in adult spinal deformity (ASD) patients through radiographs.

METHODS

Data collection involved medical records of ASD patients treated at our hospital. Patients were categorized into osteoporotic and nonosteoporotic groups based on dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry T-scores. Demographic information, radiographic parameters (canal bone ratio, canal bone ratio (CBR); cortical bone thickness, cortical bone thickness (CBT)), Hounsfield units, and vertebral body quality (VBQ) scores were compared. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to assess the correlation between CBR, CBT, and T-scores. Multiple linear regression analysis identified independent predictors of bone density T-scores. Receiver operating characteristic curves and area under the curve calculations were performed to investigate the predictive performance for osteoporosis.

RESULTS

A total of 102 patients were included, with the osteoporotic group showing larger CBR and smaller CBT compared with the nonosteoporotic group. Proximal femoral morphological parameters exhibited the strongest correlation with total hip T-scores. Advanced age (β=-0.028, 95% CI=-0.054 to -0.002, P =0.032), low BMI (β=0.07, 95% CI=0.014-0.126, P =0.015), and high CBR (β=-7.772, 95% CI=-10.519 to -5.025, P <0.001) were identified as independent predictors of low bone density. Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated that CBR had a similar osteoporosis screening capability as Hounsfield units, followed by CBT and VBQ scores.

CONCLUSIONS

The utilization of CBR from full-spine x-rays is a simple and effective osteoporosis screening indicator for ASD patients, facilitating bone density assessments by spine surgeons for all attending patients.

An Integrated Microcurrent Delivery System Facilitates Human Parathyroid Hormone Delivery for Enhancing Osteoanabolic Effect

Human parathyroid hormone (1-34) (PTH) exhibits osteoanabolic and osteocatabolic effects, with shorter plasma exposure times favoring bone formation. Subcutaneous injection (SCI) is the conventional delivery route for PTH but faces low delivery efficiency due to limited passive diffusion and the obstruction of the vascular endothelial barrier, leading to prolonged drug exposure times and reduced osteoanabolic effects. In this work, a microcurrent delivery system (MDS) based on multimicrochannel microneedle arrays (MMAs) is proposed, achieving high efficiency and safety for PTH transdermal delivery. The internal microchannels of the MMAs are fabricated using high-precision 3D printing technology, providing a concentrated and safe electric field that not only accelerates the movement of PTH but also reversibly increases vascular endothelial permeability by regulating the actin cytoskeleton and interendothelial junctions through Ca2+-dependent cAMP signaling, ultimately promoting PTH absorption and shortening exposure times. The MDS enhances the osteoanabolic effect of PTH in an osteoporosis model by inhibiting osteoclast differentiation on the bone surface compared to SCI. Moreover, histopathological analysis of the skin and organs demonstrated the good safety of PTH delivered by MDS in vivo. In addition to PTH, the MDS shows broad prospects for the high-efficiency transdermal delivery of macromolecular drugs.

Correlation Between Osteoporosis and Endplate Damage in Degenerative Disc Disease Patients: A Study Based on Phantom-Less Quantitative Computed Tomography and Total Endplate Scores

BACKGROUND

Osteoporosis and degenerative disc disease (DDD) are prevalent in the elderly population. Damage to the vertebral endplate, which impairs nutrient supply to the disc, serves as both a significant initiator and a hallmark of DDD. This study was aimed to explore the association between osteoporosis and endplate damage.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 205 patients with DDD who were treated at Tianjin Hospital from January 2019 to May 2023. We collected data on age, sex, body mass index, phantom-less quantitative computed tomography (PL-QCT) values, and total endplate scores (TEPS). The average PL-QCT value of L1-L4 and TEPS were used to represent volumetric bone mineral density (BMD) and the degree of endplate damage, respectively. Based on the average PL-QCT value of L1 and L2, patients were divided into 3 groups: normal group (BMD > 120 mg/cm3), osteopenic group (80 mg/cm3 ≤ BMD ≤ 120 mg/cm3), and osteoporosis group (BMD < 80 mg/cm3). Multiple linear regression models were used to identify independent factors associated with endplate damage.

RESULTS

The overall TEPS (4.3 ± 1.3 vs. 5.0 ± 1.0 vs. 5.9 ± 1.5, P < 0.01) and segment (L1/2-L4/5) TEPS (P < 0.05) in each group showed significant difference (R = -0.5), increasing in order from normal group to osteoporosis group. A significant negative correlation was found between TEPS and PL-QCT values in overall and each segment (P < 0.001). The PL-QCT values and age (P < 0.05) were independent factors influencing endplate damage. There were significant differences in the average number of TEPS ≥7 segments per patient among the 3 groups, with 1.16, 0.41, and 0.2 segments/person from osteoporosis group to normal group.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed a significant positive correlation between osteoporosis and endplate damage. Attention is warranted for patients with osteopenia to prevent progression to osteoporosis, potentially leading to exacerbated DDD. The management of patients with both DDD and osteoporosis necessitates comprehensive treatment strategies that address both the BMD and endplate aspects of these conditions.

Lower psoas mass indicates worse prognosis in percutaneous vertebroplasty-treated osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture

The correlation between lower psoas mass and the prognosis of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) is still unclear. This study aims to investigate the impact of lower psoas mass on the prognosis of patients undergoing percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP). One hundred and sixty-three elderly patients who underwent single-segment PVP from January 2018 to December 2021 were included. The psoas to L4 vertebral index (PLVI) via MRI were measured to assess psoas mass. Patients were divided into high PLVI (> 0.79) and low PLVI (≤ 0.79) groups based on the median PLVI in the cohort. The basic information (age, gender, body mass index (BMI) and bone mineral density (BMD)), surgical intervention-related elements (duration of operation, latency to ambulation, period of hospital stay, and surgical site), postoperative clinical outcomes (Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores, Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores), and incidence of secondary fractures) were compared. Patients showed no statistically significant differences in terms of age, gender, surgical sute, BMI, BMD and preoperative VAS, ODI, JOA scores (P > 0.05) between the two groups. However, there were significant differences in terms of latency to ambulation, period of hospital stay (P < 0.05). VAS, ODI, and JOA scores at 1, 6, and 12 months after surgery showed that the high PLVI group had significantly better outcomes than the low PLVI group (P < 0.05). Additionally, the low PLVI group had a significantly higher incidence of recurrent fracture (P < 0.05). Lower psoas mass can reduce the clinical effect of PVP in patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures, and is a risk factor for recurrent vertebral fracture.

A study on vertebral refracture and scoliosis after percutaneous kyphoplasty in patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures

PURPOSE

To analyze the association between scoliosis and vertebral refracture after percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) in patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs).

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted on 269 patients meeting the criteria from January 2014 to October 2022. All patients underwent PKP with complete data and were followed-up for > 12 months. First, it was verified that scoliosis was a risk factor in 269 patients. Second, patients with scoliosis were grouped based on the Cobb angle to evaluate the impact of the post-operative angle. The cox proportional hazards regression analysis and survival analysis were used to calculate the hazard ratio and recurrence time.

RESULTS

A total of 56 patients had scoliosis, 18 of whom experienced refractures after PKP. The risk factors for vertebral refractures included a T-score < - 3.0 and presence of scoliosis (both p < 0.001). The results indicated that the vertebral fractured arc (T10 - L4) was highly influential in scoliosis and vertebral fractures. When scoliotic and initially fractured vertebrae were situated within T10 - L4, the risk factors for vertebral refracture included a postoperative Cobb angle of ≥ 20° (p = 0.002) and an increased angle (p = 0.001). The mean recurrence times were 17.2 (10.7 - 23.7) months and 17.6 (7.9 - 27.3) months, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Osteoporosis combined with scoliosis significantly increases the risk of vertebral refractures after PKP in patients with OVCFs. A postoperative Cobb angle of ≥ 20° and an increased angle are significant risk factors for vertebral refractures when scoliotic and initially fractured vertebrae are situated within T10 - L4.

Survey on Actual Management of Osteoporosis with the Japanese Medical Data Vision Database in Elderly Patients Undergoing Spinal Fusion

Background: No actual data on spinal fusion and management of osteoporosis in Japan have been reported. The aim of the survey was to investigate pre- and post-operative management of osteoporosis, including testing and prescription, in elderly patients undergoing spinal fusion in Japan. Methods: Medical data on patients aged 65 years or older undergoing spinal fusion from April 2018 to March 2022 were extracted from the medical data vision (MDV) database containing health insurance claims data from Japanese acute care hospitals to investigate fusion area, pre- and post-operative osteoporosis tests (bone mineral density and osteoporosis markers), prescriptions of osteoporosis medications, and other information. Results: The analysis set consisted of 26,959 patients. Annual pre-operative BMD testing rates and osteoporosis markers testing rates were higher than the post-operative rates without significant annual changes. The post-operative prescription rate of osteoporosis medications throughout the target period was approximately two times higher than the preoperative rate. The drug with highest pre- and post-operative prescription rates was teriparatide (TPTD) followed by bisphosphonates, showing that the prescription rate of TPTD proportionally increased with the length of fusion area. Conclusions: It was suggested that patients aged 65 years or older undergoing spinal fusion might receive insufficient osteoporosis tests. Despite no trend in the testing rate with the length of fusion area, some tendency was observed in the selection of osteoporosis medications. In patients with osteoporosis undergoing spinal fusion, early examination, diagnosis, and therapeutic intervention may improve the prognoses, and solid testing and prescriptions are therefore expected.

Low profile posterior lumbar-sacral interbody fusion for lumbosacral degenerative diseases: a technical note

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to report our surgical experience in patients with lumbosacral degenerative diseases who underwent posterior decompression and interbody fusion fixed with cortical bone trajectory screw and sacral alar screw, which is known as low-profile posterior lumbosacral interbody fusion (LP-PLSIF).

METHODS

Patients with lumbosacral degenerative disease who underwent LP-PLSIF and traditional PLSIF (control group) internally fixed with pedicle screws were included retrospectively. Patients' demographic data, operative parameters, and perioperative complications were recorded and analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 18 patients were enrolled in this study, which included 9 patients (5 male and 4 female) who underwent LP-PLSIF, and 9 patients (4 male and 5 female) who underwent traditional PLSIF. There wasn't a significant difference in the average age between the two groups, 56.78 ± 10.92 years in the LP-PLSIF group and 60.22 ± 8.21 years in the PLSIF group (p = 0.460). The bone mineral density (BMD) of the two groups of patients were -2.00 ± 0.26 T and -2.13 ± 0.19 T, respectively (P = 0.239). The mean postoperative follow-up time was 12.7 months (range, 12-14 months). The mean operation time was 142.78 ± 11.21 min and 156.11 ± 13.41 min in the LP-PLSIF group and PLSIF group respectively (P < 0.05). The average blood loss was 137.78 ± 37.09 ml in the LP-PLSIF group, and 150.00 ± 27.84 ml in the PLSIF group (P = 0.441). The average postoperative drainage was 85.56 ± 37.45 ml and 122.22 ± 22.24 ml in the LP-PLSIF group and control group respectively (P < 0.05). Patients in the LP-PLSIF group had shorter incision length compared with the control group, 61.44 ± 10.56 mm vs. 74.56 ± 10.22 mm (P < 0.05). The average length of hospitalization of 11.33 ± 2.92 days in the LP-PLSIF group, and 11.11 ± 1.62 days in the PLSIF group (p = 0.844). All patients had significant improvement in VAS pain score, ODI, and JOA evaluation. However, patients in the LP-PLSIF group had better improvement in terms of VAS back pain and ODI in the short term after the operation. There were no neurological complications or wound infection. The fusion rate at the last follow-up was 100% (9 of 9) in the LP-PLSIF group, and 88.89% (8 of 9) in the control group based on CT scans. 1 patient in the control group had asymptomatic sacral pedicle screw loosening.

CONCLUSIONS

LP-PLSIF is a safe and effective surgical technique for patients with lumbosacral degenerative disease, which has the potential strength of less invasive and better clinical improvement.

Construction of a predictive model for osteoporosis risk in men: using the IOF 1-min osteoporosis test

OBJECTIVE

To construct a clinical prediction nomogram model using the 1-min IOF osteoporosis risk test as an evaluation tool for male osteoporosis.

METHODS

The 1-min test results and the incidence of osteoporosis were collected from 354 patients in the osteoporotic clinic of our hospital. LASSO regression model and multi-factor logistic regression were used to analyze the risk factors of osteoporosis in patients, and the risk prediction model of osteoporosis was established. Verify with an additional 140 objects.

RESULTS

We used logistic regression to construct a nomogram model. According to the model, the AUC value of the training set was 0.760 (0.704-0.817). The validation set has an AUC value of 0.806 (0.733-0.879). The test set AUC value is 0.714 (0.609-0.818). The calibration curve shows that its advantage is that the deviation correction curve of the nomogram model can maintain a good consistency with the ideal curve. In terms of clinical applicability, compared with the "total intervention" and "no intervention" schemes, the clinical net return rate of the nomogram model showed certain advantages.

CONCLUSION

Using the 1-min osteoporosis risk test provided by IOF, we built a male osteoporosis risk prediction model with good prediction effect, which can provide greater reference and help for clinicians.

Does Lumbar Interbody Fusion Modality Affect the Occurrence of Complications in an Osteoporotic Spine Under Whole-Body Vibration? A Finite Element Study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effects of 3 lumbar interbody fusion techniques on the occurrence of complications in an osteoporotic spine under whole-body vibration.

METHODS

A previously developed and validated nonlinear finite element model of L1-S1was modified to develop anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF), posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF), and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) models with osteoporosis. In each model, the lower surface of the sacrum was absolutely fixed, a follower load of 400N was applied through the axis of the lumbar spine, and an axial sinusoidal vertical load of ±40N (5 Hz) was imposed on the superior surface of L1, to perform a transient dynamic analysis. The maximal values of intradiscal pressure, shear stress on annulus substance, disc bulge, facet joint stress, and screw and rod stress, along with their dynamic response curves, were collected.

RESULTS

Among these 3 models, the TLIF model generated the greatest screw and rod stress, and the PLIF model generated the greatest cage-bone interface stress. At the L3-L4 level, compared with the other 2 models, the maximal values and dynamic response curves of intradiscal pressure, shear stress of annulus ground substance, and disc bulge were all lower in the ALIF model. However, the facet contact stress at the adjacent segment in the ALIF model was higher than that in the other 2 models.

CONCLUSIONS

In an osteoporotic spine under whole-body vibration, TLIF has the highest risk of screw and rod breakage, PLIF has the highest risk of cage subsidence, and ALIF has the lowest risk of upper adjacent disc degeneration, but the highest risk of adjacent facet joint degeneration.

Prevalence of osteoporosis in spinal surgery patients older than 50 years: A systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

In spine surgery, poor bone condition is associated with several complications like adjacent segment fractures, proximal junctional kyphosis, and screw loosening. Our study explored the prevalence of osteoporosis in spinal surgery patients older than 50 years through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted according to the PRISMA criteria. Three electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science, were searched from inception to August 2022. We used the random-effects model to calculate the overall estimates, and the heterogeneity was measured using Cochran's Q and I2 tests. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were used to determine the source of the heterogeneity.

RESULTS

Based on the inclusion and criteria, we chose ten studies with 2958 individuals for our analysis. The prevalence of osteoporosis, osteopenia, and osteoporosis/osteopenia in the spinal surgery patients was 34.2% (95%CI: 24.5%-44.6%), 43.5% (95%CI: 39.8%-47.2%), and 78.7% (95%CI: 69.0%-87.0%), respectively. Regarding different diagnoses, the prevalence was highest in patients with lumbar scoliosis (55.8%; 95%CI: 46.8%-64.7%) and the lowest in patients with cervical disc herniation (12.9%; 95%CI: 8.1%-18.7%). In age groups 50-59, 50-69,70-79, the prevalence was 27.8%, 60.4%, 75.4% in females, and 18.9%, 17.4%, 26.1% in males.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed a high prevalence of osteoporosis in patients undergoing spine surgery, especially in females, people of older age, and patients who received degenerative scoliosis and compression fractures. Current osteoporosis screening standards for patients undergoing spine surgery may not be adequate. Orthopedic specialists should make more efforts regarding preoperative osteoporosis screening and treatment.

Validation of Three Tools for Estimating the Risk of Primary Osteoporosis in an Elderly Male Population in Beijing

Purpose

This cross-sectional study estimated three clinical tools including the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Asians (OSTA), Body Mass Index (BMI), and Beijing Friendship Hospital Osteoporosis Self-assessment Tool for Elderly Male (BFH-OSTM) for identifying primary osteoporosis and found optimal cut-off values in an elderly Han Beijing male population.

Materials and Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study, enrolling 400 community-dwelling elderly Han Beijing males aged ≥50 from 8 medical institutions. Osteoporosis was diagnosed as a T-score of -2.5 standard deviations or lower than that of the average young adult in different diagnostic criteria [lumbar spine (L1-L4), femoral neck, total hip, WHO]. BFH-OSTM, OSTA, and BMI were assessed for predicting OP by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Sensitivity, specificity, and areas under the ROC curves (AUC) were determined. Ideal thresholds for the omission of screening BMD were proposed.

Results

The prevalence of osteoporosis ranged from 9.25% to 19.0% according to different diagnostic criteria. The present study indicated the highest discriminating ability was BFH-OSTM in different criteria. The AUCs of OSTA and BMI were 0.748 and 0.770 in WHO criteria, which suggested limiting predictive value for identifying OP in elderly Beijing males. The AUC of BFH-OSTM to predict OP based on WHO criteria was 0.827, yielding a sensitivity of 65.8% and specificity of 82.7%, respectively. With a cost of missing 6.5% of osteoporosis patients, BFH-OSTM could reduce 73.5% of participants in screening BMD tests.

Conclusion

BFH-OSTM may be a simple and effective tool for identifying OP in the elderly male population in Beijing to omit BMD screening reasonably.

Discordance in lumbar bone mineral density measurements by quantitative computed tomography and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in postmenopausal women: a prospective comparative study

BACKGROUND CONTEXT

Level-specific lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) evaluation of a single vertebral body can provide useful surgical planning and osteoporosis management information. Previous comparative studies have primarily focused on detecting spinal osteoporosis but not at specific levels.

PURPOSE

To compare the detection rate of lumbar osteoporosis between quantitative computed tomography (QCT) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA); to explore and analyze the distribution models of QCT-derived BMD and DXA T-score at the specific levels; and to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of level-specific BMD thresholds for the prediction of osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) in postmenopausal women.

STUDY DESIGN/SETTING

A comparative analysis of prospectively collected data comparing QCT-derived BMD with DXA T-score.

PATIENT SAMPLE

A total of 296 postmenopausal women who were referred to the spine service of a single academic institution were enrolled.

OUTCOME MEASURES

QCT-derived BMD and DXA T-score at specific levels, with or without osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture.

METHODS

Postmenopausal women who underwent QCT and DXA within a week of admission from May 2019 to June 2022 were enrolled. The diagnostic criteria for osteoporosis recommended by the World Health Organization and the American College of Radiology were used for lumbar osteoporotic diagnosis. To evaluate differences in lumbar BMD measurements at specific levels, a threshold of T score=-2.5 and QCT-derived BMD = 80 mg/cm³ were used to categorize level-specific lumbar BMD into low and high BMD. Disagreements in BMD categorization between DXA and QCT were classified as a minor or major discordance based on the definition by Woodson. Data between QCT and DXA were visualized in a stacked bar plot and analyzed. Correlations between DXA and QCT at the specific levels were evaluated using Pearson's linear correlation and scatter plots. Curve fitting of BMD distribution, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and area under the curve (AUC) for each single vertebral level was performed.

RESULTS

Of the 296 patients, QCT diagnosed 61.1% as osteoporosis, 30.4% as osteopenia and 8.4% as normal. For those screened with DXA, 54.1% of the patients had osteoporosis, 29.4% had osteopenia and 16.6% had normal BMD. Diagnoses were concordant for 194 (65.5%) patients. Of the other 102 discordant patients, 5 (1.7%) were major and 97 (32.8%) were minor. Significant correlations in level-specific BMD between DXA and QCT were observed (p<.001), with Pearson's correlation coefficients ranging from 0.662 to 0.728. The correlation strength was in the order of L1 > L2 > L3 > L4. The low BMD detection rate for QCT was significantly higher than that for DXA at the L3 and L4 levels (65% vs. 47.9% and 68.1% vs 43.7, respectively, p<.001). Patients with OVCF showed significantly lower QCT-derived BMD (47.2 mg/cm³ vs. 83.2 mg/cm³, p<.001) and T-score (-3.39 vs. -1.98, p<.001) than those without OVCF. Among these patients, 82.8% (101/122) were diagnosed with osteoporosis by QCT measurement, while only 74.6% (91/122) were diagnosed by DXA. For discrimination between patients with and without OVCF, QCT-derived BMD showed better diagnosed performance (AUC range from 0.769 to 0.801) than DXA T-score (AUC range from 0.696 to 0.753).

CONCLUSION

QCT provided a more accurate evaluation of lumbar osteoporosis than DXA. The QCT-derived BMD measurements at a specific lumbar level have a high diagnostic performance for OVCF.

Bone-Metabolism-Related Serum microRNAs to Diagnose Osteoporosis in Middle-Aged and Elderly Women

Objective: Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP), a chronic systemic metabolic disease prevalent in middle-aged and elderly women, heavily relies on bone mineral density (BMD) measurement as the diagnostic indicator. In this study, we investigated serum microRNAs (miRNAs) as a possible screening tool for PMOP. Methods: This investigation recruited 83 eligible participants from 795 community-dwelling postmenopausal women between June 2020 and August 2021. The miRNA expression profiles in the serum of PMOP patients were evaluated via miRNA microarray (six PMOP patients and four postmenopausal women without osteoporosis (n-PMOP) as controls). Subsequently, results were verified in independent sample sets (47 PMOP patients and 26 n-PMOP controls) using quantitative real-time PCR. In addition, the target genes and main functions of the differentially expressed miRNAs were explored by bioinformatics analysis. Results: Four highly expressed miRNAs in the serum of patients (hsa-miR-144-5p, hsa-miR-506-3p, hsa-miR-8068, and hsa-miR-6851-3p) showed acceptable disease-independent discrimination performance (area under the curve range: 0.747-0.902) in the training set and verification set, outperforming traditional bone turnover markers. Among four key miRNAs, hsa-miR-144-5p is the only one that can simultaneously predict changes in BMD in lumbar spine 1-4, total hip, and femoral neck (β = -0.265, p = 0.022; β = -0.301, p = 0.005; and β = -0.324, p = 0.003, respectively). Bioinformatics analysis suggested that the differentially expressed miRNAs were targeted mainly to YY1, VIM, and YWHAE genes, which are extensively involved in bone metabolism processes. Conclusions: Bone-metabolism-related serum miRNAs, such as hsa-miR-144-5p, hsa-miR-506-3p, hsa-miR-8068, and hsa-miR-6851-3p, can be used as novel biomarkers for PMOP diagnosis independent of radiological findings and traditional bone turnover markers. Further study of these miRNAs and their target genes may provide new insights into the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms of the onset and progression of the disease.

Toxoplasma gondii infection as a risk factor for osteoporosis: a case-control study

Background

More than one-third of the total world population is infected by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). T. gondii has been linked to various diseases, such as cancer, mental disorders, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), etc. However, the effects of T. gondii infection on the risk of osteoporosis are unclear. Our study aimed to uncover evidence to determine whether patients exposed to T. gondii have an increased or decreased risk of osteoporosis in people with abnormal bone mineral density (BMD) by using case–control study.

Methods

A total of 729 patients, including 316 osteopenia and 413 osteoporosis patients of Han Chinese ancestry were selected in the study. Their blood samples were collected and the levels of specific IgG antibodies against T. gondii were measured using ELISA assay. We obtained some information about the patients from the medical record that included demographic indexes and clinical data. A logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the effects of T. gondii infection on femur osteoporosis, lumbar osteoporosis and compound osteoporosis. Potential interaction was analyzed using multifactor dimensionality reduction software 1.0.0 (MDR 1.0.0).

Results

113 positive patients with T. gondii infections have been detected, including 80 cases of osteoporosis and 33 cases of osteopenia, the infection rates of T. gondii were 19.37% (80/413) and 10.44% (33/316), respectively. The patients with T.gondii infections were at a 2.60 times higher risk of suffering from compound osteoporosis than those without T. gondii infections (OR = 2.60, 95% CI 1.54–4.39, P < 0.001), but not associated with femur osteoporosis (OR = 1.01, 95% CI 0.43–2.34, P = 0.989) and lumbar osteoporosis (OR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.34–2.07, P = 0.705) after adjusting for the covariates. Moreover, a significantly higher risk of compound osteoporosis in the individuals with all two factors (T. gondii infection, Female) was observed compared with reference group (without T. gondii infection, male) under the interaction model (OR = 11.44, 95%CI = 5.44–24.05, P < 0.001). And the individuals with all two factors (T. gondii infection, over 70 years) exhibited a 8.14-fold higher possibility of developing compound osteoporosis compared with reference group (without T. gondii infection, under 70 years) (OR = 8.14, 95% CI 3.91–16.93, P < 0.001). We further stratified by age and sex, and found that women with T. gondii infection was more likely to develop compound osteoporosis than those without infection(OR = 3.12, 95% CI  1.67–5.81, P < 0.001), but we not found the association between T. gondii infection and compound osteoporosis in males (OR = 1.36, 95% CI 0.37–4.94, P = 0.645).

Conclusions

T. gondii infection is a risk factor for osteoporosis, especially compound osteoporosis. Meanwhile, it is very necessary for patients with osteoporosis to further diagnose and treat T. gondii infection, especially women.

Graphical Abstract

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13071-022-05257-z.