Associations of coronary plaque characteristics and coronary calcification with bone mineral density in postmenopausal women

M.N. Akin, I. Altun

Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Department of Radiology, Muğla Sıtkı Kocman University School of Medicine, Muğla, Turkey. drmelikenur80@hotmail.com

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• Cardiovascular Diseases

OBJECTIVE: We aimed at investigating the association of postmenopausal osteoporosis in different measurement locations, with the coronary plaque burden and morphology detected by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA).

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed a total of 223 postmenopausal women who had undergone both dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and CCTA. Coronary plaque characteristics were analyzed using CCTA.

RESULTS: The number of burdens was higher in the osteoporosis/osteopenia group of patients than in the normal group. Agatston score and BMI were not significantly different between the two groups. T-score femur and bone mineral density (BMD) femur were higher in patients with severe coronary artery disease (CAD as compared to those with mild CAD (p=0.036 and p=0.049, respectively), whereas T-score lumbar and BMD lumbar were not significantly different. Non-calcified/mixed plaque burden was an independent predictor of osteopenia/osteoporosis (OR: 1.396, 95% CI 1.007-1.934; p=0.045) together with age (OR: 1.053, 95% CI 1.015-1.093; p=0.006).

CONCLUSIONS: Non-calcified/mixed plaque burden was significantly and independently associated with osteoporosis/osteopenia at femoral neck but not at lumbar spine. Osteopenia/osteoporosis was not significantly associated with CAC.

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