Biochemical markers versus bone densitometry in assessment of postmenopausal osteoporosis

Abstract EN

This study was conducted on 50 postmenopausal women aged 50-60 years who all went through a natural menopause.

According to the presence of non-traumatic backache, they were divided into 2 groups: Group I comprised 30 patients with backache, Group II consisted of 20 women without backache.

They were compared with 20 healthy women aged 20-40 years as a control group (Group III).

All patients and controls were subjected to full clinical history, locomotory examination, laboratory investigations (i.e.

calcium, phosphorous, alkaline phosphate...etc) and plain X-rays for the dorsal and lumbar spine.

Bone densitometry “BMD” was performed with single photon absorbtiometry (SPA) as well as pyrilinks-D test in the urine to detect pyridoline and dexoypiridinoline.

Our results showed that pyrilinks-D levels were 96.1 + 65.51, 49.65 + 12.12 and 21.25 + 11.8 Nm / Mm in groups II, III and I respectively.

The results of BMD were 86.1 % + 4.732, 93.95 % + 3.22 and 99.3 % + 0.979 respectively.

The bone turnover in postmenopausal women was higher than the control group (p < 0.0005) and those with backache had the highest turnover (p < 0.0005).

Pyrilink-D was found to be more sensitive than BMD (sensitivity was 100 % vs 73.3 %).

So it was concluded that pyrilink-D represents a considerable procedure and can be done regularly to detect postmenopausal women with elevated rate of bone resorption so that we can start prophylactic treatment as early as possible before evidence of osteoporosis.