RESUMEN

CONTEXT: Adiponectin is an abundant adipokine, which has antiinflammatory, anti-atherosclerotic and vasoprotective actions, and potential antiresorptive effects on bone metabolism. It seems to be directly involved in the improvement and control of energy homeostasis, protecting bone health and predicting osteoporotic fracture risk. OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between adiponectin level and bone mineral density (BMD) in post-menopausal women with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and low BMD, and to estimate the prognostic significance of adiponectin in osteoporosis. DESIGN: Clinical-laboratory cross-sectional study including 120 middle-aged and elder women (average 69.18±7.56 years). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The anthropometric parameters were measured for all examinees. Lumbar spine and hip BMD, as well as body fat percentage, were measured using a Hologic DEXA scanner. In all subjects serum adiponectin concentration was measured by ELISA method. RESULTS: The level of adiponectin was significantly positively correlated with BMD-total, BMD of the lumbar spine and BMD of the femoral neck (r=0.618, r=0.521, r=0.567; p<0.01). Levels of adiponectin and BMD are significantly lower in post-menopausal women with MetS and osteoporosis compared to patients with osteopenia (856.87±453.43 vs. 1287.32±405.21 pg/mL, p<0.01; BMD, p<0.05), and the highest values in healthy examinees. A cut-off value of adiponectin level for osteoporosis/osteopenia was 1076.22/1392.74 pg/mL. CONCLUSIONS: Post-menopausal women with MetS have significantly lower adiponectin level and low BMD compared to healthy examinees. Adiponectin may be an early, significant and independent predictor of developing osteoporosis in women with MetS, especially in post-menopausal period.