title: Urinary free deoxypyridinoline excretion in lactating and non-lactating Arabic women of the United Arab Emirates.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to measure urinary free deoxypyridinoline (Dpd) excretion in non-lactating and lactating Arabic women of the United Arab Emirates.
  
  
  METHODS
  Morning urine specimens were obtained from 679 non-pregnant, non-lactating women and 268 lactating women. Commercial enzyme-linked immunoassay kits were used for urinary free Dpd determinations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the non-lactating women, the mean urinary free Dpd excretion was 9.20 nmol/mmol creatinine (95% confidence interval: 8.82-9.59). This result was significantly higher than those reported elsewhere. There was a trend towards lower Dpd excretion with increasing age (ANOVA test of linearity P<0.05). Urinary free Dpd in lactating women was 9.92 (9.33-10.5); this was not significantly different from that of non-lactating women (P=0.052). Dpd excretion was higher in the first month post-partum, with a significant trend towards diminishing levels thereafter, returning to non-lactating levels by 9 months post-partum (ANOVA test for linearity P<0.005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dpd excretion in UAE Arabic women aged 20-44 years was higher than in other groups. This could be due to ethnicity or vitamin D status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. cjmiller@uaeu.ac.ae
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: E V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sankarankutty
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000652:urine*; D018912:Arabs; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation / Q000652:urine*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014479:United Arab Emirates
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; C036020:deoxypyridinoline