Bone mineral density at different sites and 5 years mortality in end-stage renal disease patients: A cohort study

Abstract Background Bone disease with osteoporosis and renal osteodystrophy is common in end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and associates with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and increased morbimortality. We investigated associations of low bone mineral density (BMD) at various bone sites with five year all-cause and CVD mortality in ESRD patients. Methods In a post hoc analysis of 426 ESRD patients (median age 56 years, 62% men) starting dialysis, BMD (whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, DXA), body composition, nutritional status (subjective global assessment, SGA), handgrip strength (%HGS), Framingham CVD risk score (FRS) and biochemical biomarkers of nutrition and inflammation were assessed. We used the Fine and Gray competing risk regression analysis to assess survival analysis. Results In multivariate logistic regression analysis, %HGS and intact parathyroid hormone associated with low tertile of: BMDtotal, BMDhead and BMDpelvis, after adjusting for FRS, SGA, %HGS, s-albumin, hsCRP, lean body mass index and year of recruitment. Patients with high FRS had low BMDhead (p  Conclusion Low head and pelvis BMD, and low total BMD, as assessed by whole-body DXA, were independent predictors of increased risk of all-cause and CVD mortality. Cortical BMD appeared to have stronger association to survival in ESRD than trabecular BMD.