Osteoporosis is a bone disease in which the bone is more fragile and less resistant. Carrying out a biological assessment makes it possible to identify the risk factors and the causes.
Laboratory work-up for osteoporosis can help identify risk factors and causes underlying disease. “In cases of osteoporosis, a biological assessment is carried out to eliminate a secondary causesays Dr. Maëva Masson, rheumatologist. If this is normal, it is called postmenopausal/primary osteoporosis.“. This is the most common case.
► A biological assessment for osteoporosis is based first on a calcium test (calcemia) which can be high in the event of a tumoral process (myeloma, cancer with bone involvement, etc.) or a hyperparathyroidism. For the latter case, the balance is accompanied by a decrease in phosphorus (phosphoremia) and a parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels, which regulates the levels of calcium and phosphorus in the body, elevated or “abnormally normal”. Low serum calcium may reflect vitamin D deficiency.
► Vitamin D is important for calcium absorption and bone health. “You can also ask a dosage of vitamin D. Low levels can contribute to osteoporosis.”
► Other dosage, that of creatinine. “It helps assess kidney function, as chronic kidney failure disrupts bone remodeling and may contribute to osteoporosis.”
► In addition, serum protein electrophoresis can be prescribed. “She allows to screen for myeloma (malignant cancer) in which a certain type of white blood cell grows abnormally in the bone marrow“. It is also for this reason that we carry out a NFS (Blood count) looking for anemia.
Thanks to Dr Maëva Masson, rheumatologist at Toulouse University Hospital.