title: Bone mass and vitamin D in patients with systemic sclerosis from two Spanish regions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the bone mass in patients with scleroderma (SSc) from two different Spanish regions and to evaluate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in this population and its possible relation to bone mineral density (BMD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Disease, bone mineral density related variables and vitamin D were collected from all patients. Statistical analysis was carried out using the SPSS 17 statistics software for Windows. A p<0.05 was considered significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A Z-score <-1 was found in 21.9% of the control population and 43% of SSc patients. The prevalence of osteopenia/osteoporosis was 50% in the control population and 77% in SSc (p<0.0001). We did not find differences between the prevalence of low BMD in the south (79%) and in the north of Spain (76.3%); but patients from the north had lower levels of vitamin D (27.4±16.2 ng/dL vs. 20.7±11.0 ng/dl; p<0.031). Low levels of vitamin D (<30ng/ml) were found in 69 patients out of 90, ten of them with insufficiency (<10ng/ml). Eighty-four point six percent of the patients with low levels of vitamin D (<30ng/ml) had LBMD compared whith 66.7% of those with normal levels (p=0.073).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of osteoporosis/osteopenia in Spanish patient with SSc is very high. Although there are a high prevelence of vitamin D deficiency, we could not demonstrate a relationship of vitamin D deficiency with low mineral density.
authors.affiliation: Autoimmune Systemic Disease Unit, Hospital Universitario San Cecilio, Granada, Spain. rriosfer@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rios-Fernández
authors.forename: Jose-Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Callejas-Rubio
authors.forename: Concepción
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fernández-Roldán
authors.forename: Carmen-Pilar
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Simeón-Aznar
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: García-Hernández
authors.forename: María-Jesús
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Castillo-García
authors.forename: Vicent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fonollosa Pla
authors.forename: Ana Celia
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Barnosi Marín
authors.forename: Miguel Ángel
authors.initials: MÁ
authors.lastname: González-Gay
authors.forename: Norberto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ortego-Centeno
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015519:Bone Density; D001851:Bone Diseases, Metabolic / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005272:Femur Neck / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011859:Radiography; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D