This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
High prevalence of osteoporotic vertebral fractures observed in men with acromegaly
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
There was a high prevalence of osteoporotic vertebral fractures in men with acromegaly generally considered at low risk for osteoporosis.
Researchers enrolled 40 men with acromegaly and 31 men without acromegaly to evaluate vertebral fractures and bone mineral density at lumbar spine and total hip.
The prevalence of vertebral fractures was higher in patients with acromegaly (57.5%) compared with the control group (22.6%; P=.003). Patients with acromegaly with fractures had higher serum insulin-like growth factor I values and longer duration of active disease when compared with patients without fractures.
Patients with fractures had longer untreated hypogonadism vs. patients without fractures, according to the researchers. The duration of active acromegaly was the only risk factor correlated with fracture occurrence.
“Acromegaly appears to be an important risk factor for osteoporotic vertebral fractures, and only its early diagnosis and treatment may be thought to prevent this relevant clinical comorbidity,” the researchers wrote.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008;93:4649-4655.