Proton Pump Inhibitors Adversely Induce Selective Changes in the Bone Mineral Density Detected by Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry in Postmenopausal Women

Abstract

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is a universal tool that can detect bone loss and diagnose osteoporosis. Long term of using certain drugs contributed to the etiopathology of bone loss. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) users are at risk of developing osteoporosis. This study aimed to prove the selectivity of PPIs in inducing bone loss in postmenopausal women by determining the T-score of the axial spine and femur bone. A total number of 215 menopausal women were recruited from a Teaching hospital and private clinics from August 2018 to November 2019. The participants were grouped into Group I, n=150 (had no PPIs treatment) and Group II, n=65 (had treatment with PPIs). All the participants were subjected to DEXA investigation. Group II patients showed significantly lower T-scores of the femur bone, while Group I patients showed a significantly lower T-score of lumbar vertebrae. The percentage of Group II patients who had a T-score of – 2.5 in the femur ward bone is 35.4%, while the percentage of Group I patients who had a T score of -2.5 in the lumbar-3 vertebrae are 35.3%. Moreover, PPIs users showed an acceleration of bone loss despite their age, duration of menopause, body mass index, and waist-to-height ratio. We conclude that PPI users are at risk of developing bone mass loss in the femur more than in the lumbar vertebrae.