Different mechanism of bone loss in ageing women and men in Khon Kaen Province.

The changes of vitamin D status and biochemical markers of bone turnover have been reported with aging. In this study we determined age-related levels of vitamin D and biochemical markers of bone turnover in the general adult population between the ages of 20 and 84 years who were living in Khon Kaen province in northeastern Thailand. Serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D was determined as an indicator of vitamin D status. Serum total alkaline phosphatase and N-terminal mid fragment osteocalcin were measured as biochemical markers of bone formation and serum C-terminal fragment of type I collagen was measured as a marker of bone resorption. The levels of serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D were high in the Khon Kaen population. Men had higher levels of 25 hydroxyvitamin D than did women. However, there were no changes with age in either sex. In women, all biochemical markers of bone turnover increased with age after the fourth decade. The sharp increase was observed in the sixth decade which was around the menopausal age. In contrast, in men all biochemical markers of bone turnover except serum total alkaline phosphatase had a tendency to decrease with age. CONCLUSION: There was no evidence of vitamin D deficiency in a Khon Kaen population. In addition, serum vitamin D levels did not decline with ageing. Women and men showed different changes of biochemical markers of bone turnover with ageing indicating gender difference in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis.

Elevated serum cholesterol levels in Bangkok children and adolescents.

Hypercholesterolemia is a major cardiovascular risk factor. This study aimed to assess serum total cholesterol (TC) levels of children and adolescents living in Bangkok, Thailand. During 1995-1997, nonfasting blood samples were obtained from 570 healthy school children and adolescents aged 9-18 years. The mean TC levels ranged from 143-180 mg/dl in males and from 145-202 mg/dl in females. The prevalences of hypercholesterolemia (TC > or = 200 mg/dl) were 12.2 per cent and 20.3 per cent in males and females, respectively. Twenty-eight per cent of males and 26.9 per cent of females had borderline values (TC 170-199 mg/dl). TC inversely correlated with age (r = -0.16, P < 0.01) in males. The findings indicate that notable percentage of these children had elevated cholesterol levels and warrant additional study concerning risk factors and tracking of lipoprotein levels from childhood into adulthood.