Markers of autoimmune liver diseases in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

INTRODUCTION: Osteoporosis is a common complication of chronic liver diseases. However, there is limited information about autoimmune liver diseases as a factor of secondary osteoporosis. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the autoantibodies of autoimmune liver diseases in patients with osteoporosis. METHODS: One hundred fifty female patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis were included. Bone mineral density was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. We analysized autoantibodies including antinuclear antibodies, liver membrane antibodies, anti-liver/kidney microsomal autoantibodies1, liver-specific protein, antismooth muscle antibodies, and anti-mitochondrial antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence. Serum was assayed for the levels of aminotransferases. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 63,13±8,6 years. The mean values of L1-L4 T-scores and femur total T-scores were -3,08±0,58 and -1,53±0,81, respectively. Among the 150 patients with osteoporosis, 14 (9.3%) were antinuclear antibodies, four (2.7%) were liver membrane antibodies, three (2.0%) were anti-liver/kidney microsomal autoantibodies1, and two (1.3%) were liver-specific protein positive. None of the patients had anti-mitochondrial antibodies or smooth muscle antibodies positivity. The mean values of levels of aminotransferases were within normal range. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of liver membrane antibodies, liver-specific protein, and anti-liver/kidney microsomal autoantibodies1 has permitted us to see that there may be some suspicious clues of autoimmune liver diseases in patients with osteoporosis as a secondary risk factor. On the other hand, there is a need for comprehensive studies with a larger sample size and studies designed to compare the results with a normal population to understand the clinical importance of our findings

Evidence of association of vitamin D receptor Apa I gene polymorphism with bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

The vitamin D receptor (VDR) was the firstcandidate gene to be studied in relation to osteoporosis, andmost attention has focused on polymorphisms situated nearthe 3' flank of VDR. The aim of this study was toinvestigate the association about VDR gene Apa I polymorphismwith bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausalwomen with osteoporosis. We studied a total of 136postmenopausal women with a mean age of 56.36±10.29 years. Among them, a total of 75 had osteoporosis,37 had osteopenia, and 24 had normal BMD. Venous bloodsamples were obtained for evaluation of bone metabolismand genotyping. The VDR Apa I genotype was determinedby polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment lengthpolymorphism. BMDs at the lumbar spine and hip weremeasured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Postmenopausalwomen with aa genotype had significantly lowerBMD values (grams per centimeter square) at lumbar spinescompared to persons with AA genotype. Also, postmenopausalwomen with AA genotype had significantly higherserum Ca level than the subjects with aa genotype. Inconclusion, our result may indicate that VDR Apa I genepolymorphism may be responsible for a important part ofthe heritable component of lumbar spine BMD in postmenopausalwomen, possibly related to impaired calciumabsorption from the bowel