Inverse association between bone mineral density and fibrinogen in menopausal women

Abstract

Objective Inflammatory diseases are risk factors for osteoporosis. We aimed to explore whether fibrinogen, which is linked to chronic inflammation, is associated with bone mineral density (BMD) in menopausal women. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed 339 menopausal women from Zhejiang Province between January 2016 and October 2019. Linear regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between fibrinogen and BMD. Results Significant inverse association was observed between the serum fibrinogen level and BMD in menopausal women. The mean BMD in each quartile of fibrinogen level was 0.901, 0.897, 0.892, and 0.855 g/cm2, respectively (p = 0.027). After adjusting for age, body mass index, metabolic profiles, blood inflammatory factors, and serum levels of estradiol, calcium, phosphorus, and alkaline phosphatase, fibrinogen levels remained significantly associated with BMD (regression coefficients for quartiles 1–3 vs. quartile 4 were 0.046, 0.027, and 0.036, respectively; p for trend <0.05). Conclusions Higher fibrinogen levels were associated with lower BMD in menopausal women, which was independent of age, body mass index, estradiol, and other factors. Therefore, serum fibrinogen can be used as a new predictor of reduced BMD in menopausal women.