We wished to determine bone alterations in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients by conventional densitometry (DXA), peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT), and bone biomarkers.
We included 44 SSc patients and 33 age-matched healthy controls. Lumbar spine and femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed by DXA. Volumetric BMD was measured by pQCT at the radius. FRAX, 25-hydroxyvitamin-D
SSc patients had lower L2-4 BMD (0.880 ± 0.108 vs. 0.996 ± 0.181 g/cm
The results of our study suggest that bone loss in SSc patients may be associated with lower BMI, anti-Scl70 positivity, and the presence of pulmonary manifestations and digital ulcers. Both DXA and pQCT are appropriate tools to evaluate the bone alterations in SSc patients.