Role of serum interleukin-6 and osteocalcin in prediction of bone loss in postmenopausal women

ABSTRACT

Osteoporosis is defined as a reduction of bone mass density or the presence of fragility fracture. This reduction in bone tissue is accompanied by deterioration in the architecture of the skeleton, leading to a markedly increased risk of fracture. Interleukin-6 [IL-6] and osteocalcin have been associated with the risk of chronic disease such as osteoporosis. In this study, we assessed the relationships between interleukin-6 and osteocalcin in the prediction of postmenopausal osteoporosis. The study included 80 women whose age ranged from 18 to 80 years and were classified into the following four groups according to the duration of menopause Control group, this group comprised 20 premenopausal healthy females, they had regular menstrual cycles. Group I [Post Menopausal Patients], this group comprised 20 patients of osteoporosis, with menopause less than 5 years. Group II [Post Menopausal Patients], this group comprised 20 patients of osteoporosis, with menopause from 5-10 years. Group III [Post Menopausal Patients], this group comprised 20 patients of osteoporosis, with menopause more than 10 years. Patients of group I showed a significant increase of both IL6 [p<0.05] and osteocalcin [p<0.001] compared to control group. On the other hand, patients of both group II and III showed non significant change of interleukin-6 while a highly significant increase of osteocalcin [p<0.001], as compared to control group. We concluded that interleukin-6 appears to be a potent osteotropic factors that may play an important role in prediction of bone loss in early menopause as it is easy to measure and can be measured routinely. We recommend for the investigation on role of interleukin-6 in pathophysiology of bone loss