Association between aortic calcification and the risk of osteoporosis in a chinese cohort: the Chongqing osteoporosis study.

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between aortic calcification (AC) and the risk of osteoporosis for a community of residents in China. We conducted a 5-year prospective study on 1,729 Chinese elderly subjects. An AC scale (ACS) was determined semiquantitatively from baseline lateral radiographs of the lumbar spine. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to determine bone mineral density (BMD). Only subjects who completed the study were included in the final analysis; 432 subjects (25.0 %) developed osteoporosis. The BMD of vertebrae, femoral neck, and the total hip in the Q4 quartile of the ACS (ACS > 6) was lower when compared with the Q1 quartile (ACS = 0, p < 0.05). Cox proportional hazards model analysis showed that ACS (Q4), BMD, CTX, current smoking, and daily drinking were associated with increased risk of osteoporosis. A higher ACS was associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis in both women and men. The present study found that AC carried a higher risk of osteoporosis.