Associations between bone mineral density and coronary artery disease: a meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies

A meta-analysis was performed to explore the association of coronary artery disease (CAD) with bone mineral density (BMD). Low BMD was not found to be associated with prevalence of CAD. Though the BMD of CADs is significantly lower than that of non-CADs, the confounding effect of aging could not be excluded as CADs might be more prevalent in older patients. Purpose/introduction The clinical association of coronary artery disease (CAD) with bone mineral density (BMD) has been increasingly reported, but findings on the relationship between the two age-related processes are conflicting. The aim of our study was to conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the associations between CAD and BMD. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were pooled to assess the association between low BMD and the prevalence of CAD. For continuous data, standardized mean difference (SMD) with its 95% CI was pooled. Correlation coefficients of BMD and Gensini score were pooled after being transformed by Fischer z-transformation. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses were performed to explore the sources of heterogeneity. Results The meta-analysis involved 4170 participants from 11 studies. Pooled ORs for the incidence of CAD in patients with low BMD versus patients with normal BMD was 1.58 (95% CI 0.99-2.52, P = 0.06), and no statistical difference was found in men and women subgroups. After confounding age, the combined OR was 1.60 (95% OR 0.69-3.72, P = 0.27). Pooling data for comparing BMD of CADs and non-CADs were - 0.28 (95% CI - 0.47 to - 0.09, P = 0.004) in femoral neck and calcaneus, - 0.42 (95% CI - 0.89-0.05, P = 0.08) in lumbar spine, and - 0.25 (95% CI - 0.40 to - 0.11, P = 0.000) in the overall. A significance was detected in pooled correlation analysis between CAG Gensini score and BMD (COR = - 0.4435 [- 0.6647; - 0.1508], P = 0.004). No sources of heterogeneity were acquired, and no publication bias was identified. Conclusions Low BMD was not associated with the prevalence of CAD. Without age adjustment, the BMD of CADs is significantly lower than that of non-CADs, and the patients with lower BMD are inclined to more severe coronary artery lesions.