Trabecular bone score as an index of bone fragility in patients with acromegaly: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background. Acromegaly is characterized by impaired bone quality and increased fracture risk. However, due to the pathophysiology of acromegalic osteopathy, bone mineral density (BMD) does not represent a reliable predictor for fragility fractures in this setting. Trabecular bone score (TBS) has been recently evaluated as an alternative index of skeletal fragility in acromegalic patients. However, no conclusive data are still available in this regard. Methods. PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane library, Ovid and CINAHL databases were systematically searched until June 2022 for studies reporting data either about the comparison of TBS values between acromegalic patients and non-acromegalic controls, or about the relationship – within acromegalic patients – between TBS values and fracture risk. Effect sizes were pooled through a random-effect model. Results. Eight studies were eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis, encompassing 336 acromegalic patients and 490 non-acromegalic controls. Overall, TBS was significantly lower in acrome galic patients compared to controls (-0.089, 95%CI: {-0.111,-0.067}, p
Source: Neuroendocrinology - Category: Endocrinology Source Type: research