Bone mineral density in adults with cystic fibrosis

Osteoporosis is an increasingly recognized problem in adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) and its etiopathogenesis is thought to bee multifactorial. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in CF patients over age 18 and to correlate bone mineral density (t-score) with nutritional status,expressed as BMI (kg/m(2)), and pulmonary function (FEV1). In all patients we determined body mass index (BMI), FEV1, and serum concentrations of calcium and 25-hydroxyvitamin D-3 (25-OHD). Bone density (BMD) was measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) at the lumbar spine: in 43 CF adults. BMD was significantly reduced in CF patients, with 19 out of 43 patients (44.18 %) showing osteopenia (T-score between -1 and -2.5) and 5 out of 43 (11.6 %) osteoporosis. The 25-OHD levels were low only in 2 cases (4.6 %). We did not found any correlation between BMD and FEV1 and between BMD and BMI. The prevalence of osteopenia or osteoporosis in CF patients is relevant (55.8 %), while the prevalence of patients with levels of 25-OH-vitD below the normal range is 5%.