Bone mass and vitamin D in patients with systemic sclerosis from two Spanish regions

Objective To study the bone mass in patients with scleroderma (SSc) from two different Spanish regions and to evaluate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in this population and its possible relation to bone mineral density (BMD). Methods Disease, bone mineral density related variables and vitamin D were collected from all patients. Statistical analysis was carried out using the SPSS 17 statistics software for Windows. A p<0.05 was considered significant. Results A Z-score <-1 was found in 21.9% of the control population and 43% of SSc patients. The prevalence of osteopenial osteoporosis was 50% in the control population and 77% in SSc (p<0.0001). We did not find differences between the prevalence of low BMD in the south (79%) and in the north of Spain (76.3%); but patients from the north had lower levels of vitamin D (27.4 +/- 16.2 ng/dL vs. 20.7 +/- 11.0 ng/dl; p<0.031). Low levels of vitamin D (<30ng/ml) were found in 69 patients out of 90, ten of them with insufficiency (<10ng/ml). Eighty-four point six percent of the patients with low levels of vitamin D (<30ng/ml) had LBMD compared whith 66.7% of those with normal levels (p=0.073). Conclusions The prevalence of osteoporosis/osteopenia in Spanish patient with SSc is very high. Although there are a high prevelence of vitamin D deficiency, we could not demonstrate a relationship of vitamin D deficiency with low mineral density.