Relationship between bone turnover markers and the heel stiffness index measured by quantitative ultrasound in postmenopausal Japanese women

AbstractBackground: Osteoporosis in women is a serious health problem. The relationships between biochemical markers of bone turnover and bone mineral density (BMD) in women have been reported, but no study has examined relationships between tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b (TRACP-5b) or bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and bone mass measured by quantitative ultrasound (QUS) in Japanese postmenopausal women.Aim: To investigate the serum TRACP-5b and BAP levels and to determine their associations with the heel stiffness index measured by QUS in postmenopausal women.Subjects and methods: The subjects were 510 postmenopausal women were invited to participate in periodic health examinations in 2011-2013 (the Unzen Study). The heel stiffness index (bone mass) was measured by QUS. Serum samples were collected, and TRACP-5b and BAP levels were measured.Results: Multiple regression analysis showed that a higher log (TRACP-5b) was correlated with a lower stiffness index (p = 0.014), and log (BAP) was...