Abstract
Context
Acromegaly can impair bone integrity, increasing the risk of vertebral fractures (VF).
Objective
To evaluate the impact of isolated GH/IGF-I hypersecretion on bone turnover markers,Wnt inhibitors, BMD, microarchitecture, bone strength and vertebral fractures in female patients with acromegaly (Acro), compared to healthy control group (HC).
Design, setting, and patients
Cross-sectional study including 83 premenopausal women without any pituitary deficiency:18 acromegaly in remission (AcroR), 12 in group with active acromegaly (AcroA) and 53 HC. Serum P1NP, β-CTX, osteocalcin, sclerostin and DKK1 were measured in blood samples. DXA, HR-pQCT and vertebral fractures evaluation were also assessed simultaneously.
Main outcome and Results
AcroA showed significantly lower sclerostin and higher DKK1 as compared to HC. On HR-pQCT of tibia and radius, Acro showed impairment of trabecular (area and trabecular number), increased cortical porosity and increased cortical area and cortical thickness compared to HC. The only significant correlation found with HR-pQCT parameters was a positive correlation between cortical porosity and serum DKK1 (R=0.45, P=0.044). Mild VF were present in approximately thirty percent of patients.
Conclusions
Eugonadal women with acromegaly without any pituitary deficiency showed increased cortical BMD, impairment of trabecular bone microstructure and increased VF. Sclerostin was not correlated with any HR-pQCT parameters, however DKK1 was correlated with cortical porosity in tibia (P=0.027). Additional studies are needed to clarify, the role of Wnt inhibitors on bone microarchitecture impairment in acromegaly.