Suitability of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase type 5b as a screening marker for bone mineral density in community-dwelling elderly individuals.

Osteoporosis is a common disorder in aging populations that imposes considerable health problems. Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase type 5b (TRAP-5b) is derived from osteoclasts, and is involved in normal bone homeostasis. Recently, a novel assay system for TRAP-5b, the fragments absorbed immunocapture enzymatic assay method, has been developed. To evaluate the suitability of TRAP-5b as a screening marker for bone mineral density (BMD), we explored the correlations between serum TRAP-5b concentrations and laboratory findings, body mass index, or BMD in 462 community-dwelling elderly individuals (249 men and 213 women, age 73.4±6.5 years) who participated in a regular medical screening program. By multivariate linear regression analysis adjusted for confounding factors, TRAP-5b was significantly correlated with body mass index (β=-0.005, p=0.043), alkaline phosphatase, a marker for osteoid formation and calcification (β=0.001, p<0.001), and triglyceride (β=-0.097, p=0.016) in men, and with body mass index (β=-0.009, p=0.025), alkaline phosphatase (β=0.001, p<0.001), calcium (β=-0.059, p=0.039), and bone trabecular area ratio (β=-0.47, p=0.025) in women. In conclusion, the elevated serum level of TRAP-5b is independently correlated with the decreased BMD in women, but not in men. Because measurement of TRAP-5b is not affected by food intake, and blood samples can be collected at any time of the day, we suggest the suitability of serum TRAP-5b as a simple marker for the evaluation of BMD in women.