Louisa G Kluijver, Margreet A E M Wagenmakers, J H Paul Wilson, Janneke G Langendonk
{"title":"The Impact of Minimal Sunlight Exposure on Bone Health: Insights From a Cohort Study in Erythropoietic Protoporphyria.","authors":"Louisa G Kluijver, Margreet A E M Wagenmakers, J H Paul Wilson, Janneke G Langendonk","doi":"10.1210/clinem/dgae729","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) is a rare inherited metabolic disease, causing lifelong painful phototoxic reactions, minimal sunlight exposure, and vitamin D deficiency. Previous studies reported a high osteoporosis prevalence in EPP patients.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To identify those at risk for low bone mineral density (BMD) and assess which factors, including treatment with cholecalciferol and afamelanotide, improve BMD in EPP.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A longitudinal ambispective single-center cohort study. Data from patient files and two-time questionnaires from adult patients with EPP who underwent at least one dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan between 2012 and 2023 were used.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>BMD is low in EPP patients, with 82.7% of the 139 patients having a Z-score below 0 SD at baseline. Low BMD classified as osteopenia was found in 39.5%, and osteoporosis in 15.3%. There were 50 osteoporosis-related fractures in 34.2% of patients. Aging (odds ratio [OR] 1.08; CI, 1.03-1.12), persistent vitamin D deficiency (OR 1.11; 95% CI, 1.00-1.23) and a low body mass index (OR 0.91; 95% CI, 0.82-0.99) increased the odds of low BMD. Patients with a vitamin D deficiency (OR 5.51; 95% CI, 1.69-17.92) and no cholecalciferol at baseline (OR 0.22; 95% CI, 0.04-1.34) had the highest odds of improving their BMD. Afamelanotide did not improve BMD.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) status plays a crucial role in both preventing low BMD and improving BMD. EPP is a natural model for lack of sunlight exposure and vitamin D deficiency, underlining the importance of lifelong adequate vitamin D status for bone health in the general population.</p>","PeriodicalId":50238,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism","volume":" ","pages":"1633-1646"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12086420/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgae729","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Context: Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) is a rare inherited metabolic disease, causing lifelong painful phototoxic reactions, minimal sunlight exposure, and vitamin D deficiency. Previous studies reported a high osteoporosis prevalence in EPP patients.
Objective: To identify those at risk for low bone mineral density (BMD) and assess which factors, including treatment with cholecalciferol and afamelanotide, improve BMD in EPP.
Methods: A longitudinal ambispective single-center cohort study. Data from patient files and two-time questionnaires from adult patients with EPP who underwent at least one dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan between 2012 and 2023 were used.
Results: BMD is low in EPP patients, with 82.7% of the 139 patients having a Z-score below 0 SD at baseline. Low BMD classified as osteopenia was found in 39.5%, and osteoporosis in 15.3%. There were 50 osteoporosis-related fractures in 34.2% of patients. Aging (odds ratio [OR] 1.08; CI, 1.03-1.12), persistent vitamin D deficiency (OR 1.11; 95% CI, 1.00-1.23) and a low body mass index (OR 0.91; 95% CI, 0.82-0.99) increased the odds of low BMD. Patients with a vitamin D deficiency (OR 5.51; 95% CI, 1.69-17.92) and no cholecalciferol at baseline (OR 0.22; 95% CI, 0.04-1.34) had the highest odds of improving their BMD. Afamelanotide did not improve BMD.
Conclusion: 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) status plays a crucial role in both preventing low BMD and improving BMD. EPP is a natural model for lack of sunlight exposure and vitamin D deficiency, underlining the importance of lifelong adequate vitamin D status for bone health in the general population.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism is the world"s leading peer-reviewed journal for endocrine clinical research and cutting edge clinical practice reviews. Each issue provides the latest in-depth coverage of new developments enhancing our understanding, diagnosis and treatment of endocrine and metabolic disorders. Regular features of special interest to endocrine consultants include clinical trials, clinical reviews, clinical practice guidelines, case seminars, and controversies in clinical endocrinology, as well as original reports of the most important advances in patient-oriented endocrine and metabolic research. According to the latest Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Report, JCE&M articles were cited 64,185 times in 2008.