TIMING AND QUANTIFICATION OF BONE LOSS IN CARDIAC TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS

To evaluate osteopenic bone disease in heart transplant patients, we p rospectively measured bone mineral density (BMD) in 33 consecutive mal e recipients before hospital discharge and 1 year later, using dual ph oton absorptiometry. At hospital discharge BMD measurement at the lumb ar spine was only 90 % of that expected in healthy age- and sex-matche d controls (P = 0.005). One year later BMD had further decreased by 8. 5 % at the lumbar spine and by 10.4 % at the femoral neck (P = 0.0001) . Five patients suffered vertebral compression fractures during the Is t postoperative year. Our results indicate that osteopenia of the lumb ar spine is already present at the time of hospital discharge after tr ansplantation and that further bone loss occurs at a considerable rate during the Ist postoperative year at the lumbar spine and at the femo ral neck.