Low bone mass or presence of vertebral fracture are independently associated with increased carotid intima-media thickness in postmenopausal Japanese women, study findings indicate.
“Several prospective studies have shown an association of low bone mass or prior vertebral fracture with cardiovascular morbidity or cardiovascular mortality,” comment Junko Tamaki (Kinki University School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan) and colleagues.
“However, most of the studies were conducted on Caucasian women; no studies focusing on Japanese or even Asians in general have been conducted.”
To investigate whether bone status is related to carotid intima-media thickness in Japanese women, Tamaki and team used data from a 10-year follow-up survey of 609 women aged 50 years or older with no history of cardiovascular or connective tissue diseases at baseline.
Bone mineral density (BMD) measurements and evaluation of vertebral fracture were carried out at baseline. The intima-media thickness of carotid bifurcation (BIF-IMT), a predictor of myocardial infarction and stroke, was measured by B-mode ultrasonography 10 years later.
The researchers observed a significant negative association between BMD at the lumbar spine and BIF-IMT values in women with less than 10 years since menopause and in postmenopausal women with 10 or more years since menopause who had no hypertension at baseline.
In addition, women with more than 10-years since menopause and prevalent vertebral fracture at baseline had significantly higher BIF-IMT values than those without fracture.
“Thus, postmenopausal women with osteoporosis including prevalent vertebral fracture would be considered to be a targeted population to prevent atherosclerotic cardiovascular event,” Tamaki and co-authors conclude.
The study findings are published in the journal Osteoporosis International.