Association of serum bicarbonate with bone fractures in hemodialysis patients: the mineral and bone disorder outcomes study for Japanese CKD stage 5D patients (MBD-5D).
OBJECTIVE
Bone fracture is often complicated in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Metabolic acidosis is related to bone disease and muscle wasting, but it is not known whether acid-base disturbance is associated with the risk of bone fractures. The aim of this study was to clarify the association of serum bicarbonate level with bone fracture in HD patients.


METHODS
Using a subcohort of the Mineral and Bone Disorder Outcomes Study for Japanese CKD Stage 5D Patients (MBD-5D), 890 prevalent HD patients (age: 62 years old, male: 62.8%, duration of dialysis: 8.3 years) with secondary hyperparathyroidism were studied. After measuring predialysis serum bicarbonate at a 2-day interdialytic interval, we prospectively followed them every 3 months, and examined the occurrence of any type of bone fracture or hospitalization due to fracture over a 3-year observation period.


RESULTS
Seventy-four bone fractures and 47 hospitalizations due to fracture were observed during the follow-up period. HD patients with serum bicarbonate <20 mmol/l had a 1.93 (95% CI 1.01-3.71)-fold higher risk for all-cause fractures than those with serum bicarbonate of 20.0-21.9 mmol/l. A higher bicarbonate level (≥22 mmol/l) was also related to an increased risk of bone fracture. A restricted cubic regression spline disclosed that the higher or the lower than 21.0 mmol/l of serum bicarbonate, the greater the risk for bone fracture.


CONCLUSIONS
Both a lower level and a higher level of predialysis bicarbonate concentration were associated with risk of bone fracture in HD patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism.
Blood Purification Unit, Hamamatsu University Hospital, Hamamatsu, Japan.
Akihiko
A
Kato
Ryo
R
Kido
Yoshihiro
Y
Onishi
Noriaki
N
Kurita
Masafumi
M
Fukagawa
Tadao
T
Akizawa
Shunichi
S
Fukuhara
D000138:Acidosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications*; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D001639:Bicarbonates / Q000097:blood*; D001847:Bone Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008903:Minerals / Q000378:metabolism; D011446:Prospective Studies; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy
D001639:Bicarbonates; D008903:Minerals