Brief report: Association of adipokines with bone mineral density in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected women

BACKGROUND: HIV infection is associated with low bone mineral density (BMD) and alterations in adipokines, which may mediate the relationship between fat and bone. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship of adiponectin and leptin with BMD in HIV-infected and uninfected women. METHODS: We measured BMD over 5 years at the lumbar spine, total hip (TH), and femoral neck (FN) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 318 HIV-infected and 122 HIV-uninfected participants of the multicenter Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS). Total adiponectin and leptin were assayed on stored sera. Multivariable linear mixed models assessed the effects of adipokines and HIV status on BMD. RESULTS: HIV-infected women had higher adiponectin (median 6.2 vs. 5.6 μg/mL,) but lower leptin (11.7 vs. 19.8 ng/mL) levels at baseline (both P 0.8 for adiponectin; P > 0.2 for leptin). CONCLUSIONS: Alterations in serum adiponectin and leptin do not explain low BMD in HIV-infected women.