The diagnostic utility of some immunological markers in women with osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a systemic disease that affects the mineral density of bones and their structure, which leads to an increase in the softness of the bones. One in three women after the age of fifty worldwide is affected. osteoporosis is characterized by the loss of bone mass and increased bone fracture risk largely resulting from significantly reduced levels of the hormone estrogen after menopause. Besides the direct negative effects of estrogen-deficiency on bone, indirect effects of altered immune status in post- menopausal women might contribute to ongoing bone destruction. The study aimed to the evaluation of some immunological markers and Osteoprotegerin (OPG) as a diagnostic indicator of osteoporosis. Sixty-five osteoporotic women subjected to standard criteria were participated in this study. Thirty apparently healthy women were selected to be a normal group for comparison. The receiver operating characteristic, (ROC) curve was used to identify the diagnostic utility of some immunological markers. In addition, assessing the serum levels of Serum levels of cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4), Fibroblastic Growth Factor (FGF)-23, Interleukin-33 (IL-33), and Osteoprotegerin (OPG) by EILISA and enzymatic Kits. There were higher serum CD4, FGF-23, IL-33 and Osteoprotegerin (OPG) levels in osteoporotic women compared with healthy women (P<0.001). ROC analysis demonstrated that that FGF-23 levels had a maximum area under curve(AUC=0.7678) for osteoporosis, followed by, OPG (AUC=0.7339), CD4 (AUC=0.7309), and IL-33(AUC=00.663). Therefore, FGF-23, OPG, and CD4 could be considered as good diagnostic biomarkers for discriminate between osteoporosis and healthy women. There were significant differences in mean serum levels of CD4, FGF-23, IL-33 and osteoprotegerin (OPG) in osteoporotic women compared with healthy women. Serum immunological markers measurements could be use as a useful clinical index as well as potential biomarkers for detection and diagnosis of osteoporosis.