Bone Density Change in Postmenopausal Rheumatoid Arthritis

January 2, 2026 updated by: Burak Ugur Cetin, Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

Changes in Bone Mineral Density and the Impact of Therapeutic Approaches in Postmenopausal Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with systemic inflammation-mediated bone loss, leading to an increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures, particularly in postmenopausal patients. Although disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs may help mitigate bone loss, comparative longitudinal data on different treatment strategies remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate changes in bone mineral density over time and assess the impact of conventional synthetic and biologic DMARDs, together with anti-osteoporotic therapy, on bone health.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

82

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa (IUC)

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

This retrospective study was conducted using patient data obtained from the electronic medical records of a university hospital over the past five years.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Postmenopausal women with a confirmed diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Concomitant inflammatory rheumatic diseases other than RA
  • History of malignancy
  • Uncontrolled or untreated endocrine or metabolic disorders affecting bone metabolism, such as primary hyperparathyroidism, Cushing's syndrome, severe renal failure, severe hepatic failure
  • Incomplete medical records or missing data

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Postmenopausal Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Postmenopausal women with a confirmed diagnosis of RA were identified. Postmenopause was defined as ≥12 months of spontaneous amenorrhea or a prior bilateral oophorectomy; women receiving hormone replacement therapy who fulfilled these criteria were also considered postmenopausal.
Diagnostic test: Bone Density Test
BMD values were obtained from DXA scans performed at the lumbar spine (L1-L4), femoral neck, and total femur. All DXA measurements were conducted at the Department of Nuclear Medicine using the same device, a Hologic QDR 4500SL (S/N 45624, Bedford, MA), to ensure methodological consistency. Reference values were based on the NHANES III.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Bone Mineral Density
Time Frame: 1-2 years
For each patient, the absolute values and changes in BMD between the two DXA time points for the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total femur were recorded.
1-2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

June 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 2, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 2, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

January 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 2, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IstanbulUC-BCetin-03

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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