Is osteoporosis a peculiar association with primary biliary cirrhosis?

Aim: (1) To compare the prevalence of osteoporosis (t-score ≤-2.5 SD) between stage IV PBC patients, and two groups of age- and sex-matched controls: one with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis, and the other one consisting of a group of healthy subjects from the general population; (2) to identify the main risk factors for the development of bone loss. Methods: Thirty-five stage IV PBC patients (mean age 52.5±10 years), 49 females with HCV-related cirrhosis (mean age 52.9±5.8 years) and 33 healthy females (mean age 51.8±2.22 years) were enrolled in the study. Bone metabolism was evaluated by measuring serum calcium corrected for serum albumin (Ca corr.), 25-hydroxy Vitamin D (25-OH vit D), parathyroid hormone, osteocalcin. Bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed at the lumbar spine by dual-photon X-ray absorptiometry. Results: Osteoporosis was present in 5/35 PBC patients (14.2%) and in 7/49 HCV-related cirrhotic patients (14.3%), without any statistical difference between the two groups. Among healthy control subjects, none had osteoporosis. No difference was found between the three groups in serum parameters of bone metabolism. Univariate analysis showed that menopausal state and low BMI were significantly correlated with osteoporosis. Multivariate regression analysis showed that menopausal status, BMI