title: Quantitative heel ultrasonography, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and urine amino-terminal cross-linking telopeptide of type I collagen in patients with a recent hip fracture.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined quantitative heel ultrasonography (QUS), 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) levels, and urine amino-terminal cross-linking telopeptide of type I collagen (NTX-I) levels in patients with a recent osteoporotic hip fracture to see whether they were clinically useful.
  
  
  METHODS
  Stiffness index (SI) T scores from QUS, 25-OHD levels, and urine NTX-I levels were obtained in 53 female and 32 male patients with hip fractures. Sixty-five female patients and 5 male patients attending our geriatric clinic were used for comparison.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SI T scores of the hip fracture patients were less than those of the geriatric clinic patients. The difference was significant in female patients (P= .0001) but not in male patients (P= .1). Serum levels of 25-OHD were less than 28 ng/mL in 50 of 59 patients and less than 5 ng/mL in 2 patients. Levels of urine NTX-I were variable and were not correlated with other parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients who have had a hip fracture have a low SI determined by QUS; this is easy to perform, and it provides a baseline T score from which to assess treatment effects. Most of these patients are vitamin D deficient, and measurement of the 25-OHD level would enable physicians to prescribe an appropriate dose of vitamin D. Urine NTX-I measured shortly after a hip fracture is not clinically helpful.
authors.affiliation: St Luke's Roosevelt Hospital and Columbia University, New York, New York, USA. ecolt@chpnet.org
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Colt
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gorich
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Quinnan
authors.forename: Ramona
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Raj
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thornton
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Matti
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pierson
authors.forename: Eileen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Quinlan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002170:Canada; D024042:Collagen Type I / Q000652:urine*; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006365:Heel / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006620:Hip Fractures; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010455:Peptides / Q000652:urine*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D024042:Collagen Type I; D010455:Peptides; C052929:collagen type I trimeric cross-linked peptide; D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D