title: Serum levels of sclerostin and dickkopf-1: effects of age, gender and fracture status.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fragility fractures, especially hip fractures, are a very common complication of osteoporosis in elderly subjects. Sclerostin (SOST) and dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) are inhibitors of the canonical wnt signalling pathway and thus could be involved in the pathogenesis of age-related bone fragility.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate SOST and DKK-1 in a large group of geriatric patients with hip fractures and to relate the wnt inhibitors to age and gender.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study carried out in a department of acute geriatric care in a district hospital in Upper Austria and a hospital in Vienna, Austria. A total of 256 geriatric patients (172 women and 84 men) and 67 young control subjects were selected after exclusion. Medical history was obtained, a comprehensive geriatric assessment was performed and serum levels of SOST, DKK-1 and bone formation markers were analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DKK-1 levels increased with age and in the presence of hip fractures. In contrast, SOST levels were lower in patients with hip fractures. When compared to women, men had higher SOST levels but lower DKK-1 levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum levels of the inhibitors of the canonical wnt signalling pathway reflect different biological events and are useful for the study of bone fragility in geriatric patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Acute Care, Hospital of Gmunden, Gmunden, Austria.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dovjak
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dorfer
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Föger-Samwald
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kudlacek
authors.forename: Rodrig
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marculescu
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pietschmann
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000367:Age Factors; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001317:Austria; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D016723:Bone Remodeling / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D058866:Osteoporotic Fractures / Q000097:blood*; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; C501126:DKK1 protein, human; D005819:Genetic Markers; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C422903:SOST protein, human