title: Diagnostic utility of osteocalcin, undercarboxylated osteocalcin, and alkaline phosphatase for osteoporosis in premenopausal and postmenopausal women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We aimed to investigate the diagnostic utility of osteocalcin (OC), undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in pre- and postmenopausal women for femoral neck, L1-4, and L2-4 bone mineral density (BMD) values by taking into consideration their age, body mass index (BMI), and menopausal status.
  
  
  METHODS
  Premenopausal (N=40) and postmenopausal cases (N=42) were classified as 25-34 or 35-45 yr of age and within the first 5 yr or 5 yr or more after the onset of menopause, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the groups, statistical differences were found for age, BMI, OC, ucOC, ALP, femoral neck BMD, L1-4 BMD, and L2-4 BMD. The highest serum OC, ucOC, and ALP levels were observed in cases within the first 5 yr after the onset of menopause, probably due to a more rapid bone turnover rate. The best predictors for the femoral neck osteoporosis were ALP, OC, and calcium (areas under the ROC curve [AUC]=0.882, 0.829, and 0.761, respectively), and those for L1-4 and L2-4 osteoporosis were OC, ALP, and ucOC (AUC=0.949, 0.873, and 0.845; and 0.866, 0.819, and 0.814, respectively). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the most discriminative parameter for osteoporosis was OC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that serum OC levels, with or without ucOC and ALP, may be useful to monitor follow-up changes that currently cannot be assessed with BMD and to diagnose femoral neck, L1-4 spine, and L2-4 spine osteoporosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Haydarpasa Numune Teaching and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. sacideata@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Sacide
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Atalay
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elci
authors.forename: Huseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kayadibi
authors.forename: Can B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Onder
authors.forename: Nurettin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015519:Bone Density; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D015675:Osteocalcin / Q000097:blood*; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D017698:Postmenopause; D017697:Premenopause
chemical_list: D015675:Osteocalcin; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase