BONE METABOLISM IN NON CHOLESTATIC CHRONIC HEPATOPATHY

BACKGROUND: osteoporosis may be associated with parenchymal hepatopath y and chronic alcoholism. Biochemical studies which are linked with ho ne metabolism and the hone densitometry may help to understand its phy siopathology, before the symptoms appear and its consequences become i nevitable. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study of bone metabolism and dens itometry has been carried out in a population of 86 males, distributed in 4 groups: group I, control (17 men), group II, patients with chron ic hepatopathy without alcoholism (25 patients), group III, chronic al coholic without hepatopathy (21 patients), and group IV, patients with chronic alcoholic hepatopathy (23 patients). The results of densitome try and biochemical parameters in relation with bone metabolism are cr oss checked among these 4 groups. RESULTS: We found out that patients with chronic alcoholic hepatopathy have bone mineral density (BMD), at femoral level, significatively lower than that of the other 3 groups (p < 0.05). In chronic hepatopathy, regardless of its etiology, signif icant alterations in biochemical parameters of hone metabolism found, consisting basically in shrinked plasmatic level of 25-hydroxivitamin- D (25-OH-D) (p < 0.05). The plasmatic levels of calcitriol, magnesium and intact parathyroid hormone (PTHi) were significantly lower in chro nic alcoholic hepatopathy than in the others 3 groups (p < 0.001, p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Chronic hepatopathy is associated with deficiency in vitamin D. Alcoholism added to chronic hepatopathy has a negative influence an the plasmatic levels of calcit riol, magnesium and PTHi as well as in the femur BMD. Alcoholism not a ssociated with chronic hepatopathy is not sufficient to cause signific ant alterations in the studied parameters.