BMD Declines Twice as Quickly in Women with HIV

Bone mineral density decreases twice as quickly in women vs men with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), according to a recent study.

For their study, the researchers assessed 839 women and 1759 men with HIV. All patients included in the study underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans every 6 to 12 months for a median of 4.6 years.
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Annual rates of BMD decline and related clinical factors were assessed via mixed effect regression models. Each model accounted for various factors.

Findings showed that women had significantly different adjusted slopes in BMD vs men in the femoral neck (women: −0.00897 g/cm² per year vs men: −0.00422 g/cm² per year) and L-spine (women: −0.0127 per year vs men: −0.00763 g/cm² per year).

The researchers noted that factors including antiretroviral therapy, the presence of hepatitis C virus, physical activity, and vitamin D insufficiency were all modifiable risks associated with BMD decline.

“Among HIV-infected individuals, bone density at the femoral neck, a significant predictor of fracture risk, declined twice as quickly among women compared with men,” the researchers concluded. “Female sex was independently associated with both lower femoral neck and lumbar BMD over time in adjusted models.”

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Erlandson KM, Lake JE, Sim M, et al. Bone mineral density declines twice as quickly among HIV-infected women compared with men. JAIDS. 2018;77(3):288-294. doi:10.1097/QAI.0000000000001591.