Correlation between serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and bone mineral density in vitamin D-deficient populations.

Introduction: To investigate the relationship between serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and bone mineral density (BMD) in vitamin D-deficient population.

Materials and methods: This study was a cross-sectional study. From January to December 2020, 2583 middle-aged and older adult aged 40 and above were randomly selected in the Health Management Center of the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University for health examination and questionnaire survey. The correlation was determined by Pearson correlation method, and the independent correlation was analyzed by multiple linear regression. The receiver Operating characteristic (ROC) curve estimates HDL-C cutoff levels for predicting osteoporosis risk.

Results: The prevalence of osteoporosis in the study population was 11.4%, the overall prevalence of 25 (OH) D deficiency was 78.2%. There was no correlation between HDL-C and BMD of lumbar spine, femoral neck and total hip in normal vitamin D group (P > 0.05). HDL-C in the deficient group was negatively correlated with BMD of lumbar spine and femoral neck (P < 0.05), but not with BMD of total hip. Serum HDL-C concentration increased with the progression of osteoporosis. When serum 25 (OH) D level was lower than normal level, HDL-C ≥ 1.215 mmol/L was an independent predictor of osteoporosis (sensitivity = 75%, specificity = 53%, Area = 0.625).

Conclusions: HDL-C was inversely associated with BMD in the lumbar spine and femoral neck in people aged 40 years and older with vitamin D deficiency. When serum HDL-C concentration ≥ 1.215 mmol/L, it can better predict the occurrence of osteoporosis.