Abstract
Background: As society ages, the incidence of osteoporosis increases. In several studies, cadmium (Cd) is thought to be related to osteoporosis. However, there are conflicting reports about the relationship between Cd and the risk of osteoporosis and osteopenia. Therefore, the purpose of this meta-analysis was to explore the relationship between Cd and osteoporosis and osteopenia.Methods: Through a review of the literature, articles published in PubMed as of December 2020 were identified and the references of related publications and reviews were reviewed. Ultimately, 17 eligible articles were selected to determine the relationship between blood and urine Cd concentrations for the risk of osteoporosis or osteopenia. In this study, we performed a classification analysis, heterogeneity test, subgroup analysis, and evaluated publication bias.Results: A total of 17 studies were included, including seven on blood Cd and 10 on urine Cd. By combining the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the lowest and highest categories, the odds ratio of blood Cd concentration that increased the risk of osteoporosis or osteopenia was OR 1.21 (95% CI: 0.84–1.58) and that of urine Cd concentration that increased the risk of osteoporosis or osteopenia was OR 1.80 (95% CI: 1.42–2.18), and the results of the subgroup analysis were also consistent.Conclusions: Our research indicates that while urine cadmium (Cd) concentration may be related to increased risk of osteoporosis and osteopenia, blood Cd concentration may not. Therefore, compared to blood Cd concentration, urine Cd concentration may be more reliable as a risk factor for osteoporosis and osteopenia. This result should be interpreted with caution. Currently. research on the relationship between Cd concentration and osteoporosis and osteopenia is limited, thus, further large, high-quality prospective studies are required to elucidate the relationship between Cd concentration and osteoporosis and osteopenia.
Highlights
Osteoporosis is a systemic bone disease characterized by decreased bone mineral density, bone microstructure destruction, and increased risk of fragility fractures
17 articles were selected for the meta-analysis, of which seven were focused on blood Cd concentrations [18–24] and 10 on urine Cd concentrations [25–34]
The results of our meta-analysis showed that blood Cd concentration was not associated with the risk of osteoporosis and osteopenia
Summary
Osteoporosis is a systemic bone disease characterized by decreased bone mineral density, bone microstructure destruction, and increased risk of fragility fractures. Due to the high morbidity and mortality of diseases such as osteoporosis, fragility fractures, and other diseases, it has become a public health problem that needs to be solved urgently [1, 2]. Some metals such as zinc, iron, and copper are closely related to human bones and are necessary to maintain normal physiological functions. Heavy metals have been reported as risk factors for degenerative diseases such as osteoporosis and associated fractures [3, 4]. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to explore the relationship between Cd and osteoporosis and osteopenia
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
