Bone mineral density, trabecular bone score, and uric acid in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Objective : to assess bone mineral density (BMD), trabecular bone score (TBS), and their relationship with serum uric acid (UA) levels in women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Material and methods . The study included 165 women with confirmed RA (median age 63.0 [54.0; 68.0] years). All participants underwent clinical and laboratory evaluation, including serum UA level measurement and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to assess BMD at the lumbar spine (LI-IV), femoral neck (FN), and total hip (TH). TBS was determined for all patients based on LI-IV BMD measurements. Results and discussion. The mean UA level was 265.9±73.2 μmol/L. A positive correlation was observed between UA level and BMD at the TH (r=0.18, p=0.023), and a negative correlation was found between UA level and TBS (r=-0.25, p=0.001). In multivariate regression analysis, a significant independent association of UA level with both BMD across all measured sites and TBS was identified in postmenopausal women (p<0.05). No significant associations were observed in premenopausal women. Conclusion. In postmenopausal women with RA, serum UA levels showed a positive independent association with BMD and a negative association with TBS. No such relationship was observed in women of reproductive age. Keywords: bone mineral density; trabecular bone score; uric acid; rheumatoid arthritis> < 0.05). No significant associations were observed in premenopausal women. Conclusion . In postmenopausal women with RA, serum UA levels showed a positive independent association with BMD and a negative association with TBS. No such relationship was observed in women of reproductive age.