Sex-specific biomarkers predict bone mineral density loss at the contralateral hip after hip fracture.

OBJECTIVE

To identify inflammatory and hormonal biomarkers that predict bone loss at the contralateral (non-fractured) hip following hip fracture in males and females.

METHODS

White participants who were not receiving pre-fracture glucocorticoids, sex-hormone therapy, or bone-active medications (100 males, 76 females) with hip fractures. Data were collected within 22 days of hip fracture and at 2, 6, and 12 months follow-up. Biomarkers were categorized into tertiles: estradiol, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3/D2, intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), soluble tumor necrosis factor-α receptor 1, sex hormone-binding globulin, and testosterone. Femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD) at the contralateral hip was assessed, and losses exceeding the mean decline were classified as greater than average. Logistic regression models, stratified by sex, were adjusted for confounders and evaluated selected biomarker associations.

RESULTS

Among males, the 2nd (OR = 4.79, P = 0.012) and 3rd (OR = 6.36, P = 0.005) IGF-1 tertiles were associated with greater odds of BMD loss than the 1st tertile. The 3rd iPTH tertile (OR = 3.79, P = 0.037) was similarly associated with increased odds. Among females, the 3rd (OR = 0.20, P = 0.031) IL-1RA tertile was associated with lower odds of BMD loss compared to the 1st tertile, while the 2nd IL-6 tertile (OR = 5.99, P = 0.036) was associated with higher odds.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that inflammatory and hormonal biomarkers may be sex-specific predictors of accelerated BMD loss following hip fracture.