Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences on calcified tissues
Bone Abstracts (2014) 3 PP25 | DOI: 10.1530/boneabs.3.PP25

ECTS2014 Poster Presentations Bone biomechanics and quality (22 abstracts)

Normal bone matrix mineralization in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Barbara Misof 1 , Paul Roschger 1 , Vanda Jorgetti 2 , Klaus Klaushofer 1 , David Dempster 3 & Carolina Kulak 4


1First Medical Department, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Osteology at the Hanusch Hospital of WGKK, AUVA Trauma Centre Meidling, Hanusch Hospital, Vienna, Austria; 2Department of Nephrology, School of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; 3Department of Pathology, College of Physicians and Surgeons; Regional Bone Center, Helen Hayes Hospital, Columbia University, West Haverstraw, New York, USA; 4Endocrine Division (SEMPR), Department of Internal Medicine, Clinical Hospital of the Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Brazil.


Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been found associated with low areal bone mineral density and an increase in fracture rate. Previous histomorphometric findings revealed abnormally low cancellous bone volume and thin cortices. In the present work, we studied the same transiliac bone biopsy samples from n=19 COPD patients for cancellous (Cn.) and cortical (Ct.) bone mineralization density distribution (BMDD) based on quantitative backscatter electron imaging (qBEI). The patients were postmenopausal women with an average age of 62.1±7.3 years (mean±S.D.). Eight of the patients had sustained at least one fragility fracture, 13 received treatment with inhaled glucocorticoids. The BMDD outcomes from the patients were compared to reference BMDD data and were correlated with clinical and histomorphometric findings.

Comparison of Cn.BMDD findings to reference data revealed no significant difference, in particular the average degree of cancellous bone matrix mineralization Cn.CaMean was 22.10 (21.76; 22.51) wt%Ca, median (25th, 75th percentiles) which is in the normal range of 22.23 (21.84; 22.50) wt%Ca. There were no differences in Cn. or Ct.BMDD with respect to the occurrence of fragility fractures or to treatment with inhaled glucocorticoids. Correlation analyses with histomorphometric findings revealed highly significant negative correlations of Cn. and Ct.CaMean (both R=−0.71, P<0.001), of typical degree of mineralization Cn. and Ct.CaPeak (both R=−0.65, P<0.01), and of the percentage of highly mineralized bone areas Cn.CaHigh and Ct.CaHigh (R=−0.65 and R=−0.69 respectively, both P<0.01) with endocortical bone formation rate.

The lack of deviations in BMDD from the patients is consistent with the normal histomorphometric bone formation rates reported previously. Although within the normal range, bone mineralization indices were sensitive to variations in bone turnover rates as observed by strong negative correlations. Further, our findings suggest that the occurrence of fragility fractures was not associated with differences in bone matrix mineralization in this cohort with COPD.

Volume 3

European Calcified Tissue Society Congress 2014

Prague, Czech Republic
17 May 2014 - 20 May 2014

European Calcified Tissue Society 

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