Department of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, 9037 Tromsø, Norway.
Eur J Epidemiol. 2011 Apr;26(4):305-12. doi: 10.1007/s10654-011-9555-8. Epub 2011 Feb 18.
Severe loss of body height is often a consequence of osteoporotic vertebral fractures. Osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB ligand (RANKL) are cytokines essential for the regulation of bone resorption. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the OPG/RANKL system and height loss. A total of 4,435 inhabitants from the municipality of Tromsø, Norway (2,169 men and 2,266 women) were followed for 6 years. Baseline measurements included height, weight, bone mineral density, OPG, RANKL, serum parathyroid hormone and information about lifestyle, prevalent diseases and use of medication. Height was measured again at follow-up, and the loss of height was categorized into 4 groups: ≤1, 1.1-2, 2.1-3, >3 cm. We found increasing height loss with increasing baseline OPG levels in both men and women (P trend = 0.02 and 0.001, respectively), after adjustments for age and other confounders. However, when the women were stratified according to menopausal status and use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), a significant relationship was present only among postmenopausal women not using HRT (P trend = 0.02). No relations between OPG and height loss were found in post-menopausal HRT-users and premenopausal women (P trend ≥0.39). We conclude that height loss is positively associated with OPG in men and in postmenopausal women not using HRT. No relationship was found between RANKL and height loss.
严重的身高损失往往是骨质疏松性椎体骨折的后果。骨保护素（OPG）和核因子-kB 配体受体激活剂（RANKL）是调节骨吸收的必需细胞因子。本研究旨在评估 OPG/RANKL 系统与身高损失之间的关系。挪威特罗姆瑟市的 4435 名居民（2169 名男性和 2266 名女性）进行了为期 6 年的随访。基线测量包括身高、体重、骨密度、OPG、RANKL、甲状旁腺激素和生活方式、常见疾病及用药信息。随访时再次测量身高，并将身高损失分为 4 组：≤1cm、1.1-2cm、2.1-3cm、>3cm。我们发现，无论男性还是女性，OPG 基线水平越高，身高损失越大（男性 P 趋势=0.02，女性 P 趋势=0.001），调整年龄和其他混杂因素后仍然如此。然而，当女性根据绝经状态和激素替代疗法（HRT）使用情况进行分层时，仅在未使用 HRT 的绝经后女性中存在显著相关性（P 趋势=0.02）。在绝经后使用 HRT 的女性和绝经前女性中，OPG 与身高损失之间没有关系（P 趋势≥0.39）。我们的结论是，男性和未使用 HRT 的绝经后女性的身高损失与 OPG 呈正相关。未发现 RANKL 与身高损失之间存在关系。
