title: Longitudinal analysis of bone mineral density in pre-menopausal female systemic lupus erythematosus patients: deleterious role of glucocorticoid therapy at the lumbar spine.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether bone loss occurs over time in pre-menopausal systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a longitudinal bone mineral density (BMD) analysis in a group of 35 pre-menopausal female SLE patients. Lumbar spine and hip (total and sub-regions) BMDs were measured twice 21 +/- 11 (mean +/- S.D.) months apart by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the whole cohort of SLE patients, significant bone loss was observed at the lumbar spine (-1.22%/yr) but not at the total hip. Further analyses indicated that lumbar spine bone loss (-2.12%/yr) occurred exclusively in the subgroup of patients who had taken a mean prednisolone daily dose >7.5 mg between the two BMD measurements. Moreover, bone loss was more important in patients who had previously received a cumulative prednisolone dose </=5 g by the time of their first BMD evaluation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results, by demonstrating a loss of lumbar spine bone over time in pre-menopausal SLE patients given glucocorticoid (GC) therapy, strongly support the use of preventive treatment to minimize GC-induced osteoporosis in pre-menopausal female SLE patients given prednisolone daily doses >7.5 mg.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Department, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université catholique de Louvain, Bruxelles, Belgium.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jardinet
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lefèbvre
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Depresseux
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Devogelaer
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Houssiau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017697:Premenopause
chemical_list: D011239:Prednisolone