Bone Mineral Density, Trabecular Bone Score and Fractures in Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the bone mineral density (BMD), trabecular bone score (TBS), and fracture history of middle-aged patients hospitalized for heart failure (HF), as well as analyze the association of these factors with cardiometabolic parameters and muscle strength. A cross-sectional study with patients aged 40 to 64 years hospitalized for HF was performed. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry was performed to obtain BMD and TBS. Fracture history, handgrip strength (HGS), and clinical and laboratory cardiometabolic parameters of the patients were evaluated. Altogether, 109 patients were evaluated (female 50.5%). Medians and interquartile ranges for age and length of hospital stay were 58.0 (53.0-61.0) years and 20.0 (11.0-32.0) days, respectively. Osteoporosis was observed in 15.6% of the patients, low TBS was observed in 22.8%, and 6 patients had a history of fragile fracture. No differences between the sexes regarding BMD (p=0.335) or TBS (p=0.736) classifications were observed. No association was observed between low BMD and HF classification (p>0.05) regarding the ejection fraction, ischemic etiology, or New York Heart Association Functional Classification. However, there was a significant association between high serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) and the presence of osteoporosis (62.5 [37.2-119.0] pg/mL vs. 34.2 [25.0-54.1] pg/mL; p=0.016). There was a negative correlation between serum PTH and TBS (r=-0.329, p=0.038) and a higher frequency of reduced HGS in patients with low TBS (92.3% vs. 50.0%; p=0.009). We found relevant frequencies of osteoporosis and bone microarchitecture degradation in middle-aged patients with HF, which were related to high serum PTH concentrations.