Associated factors of osteoporosis in Chinese patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to analyze the factors associated of osteoporosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in China.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and four Chinese electronic databases were searched for observational studies without language restrictions that reported the factors associated of osteoporosis from inception to February 2023. A modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale evaluated the risk of bias. Statistical heterogeneity among the included studies was analyzed using Cochran Q and I2 tests. Begg and Egger tests were used to assess the publication bias.

Results: A total of 15 studies were finally included. The meta-analysis showed that 10 factors were grouped into three themes with statistical significance: (1) demographics theme: age ≥50 (odds ratio [OR] = 1.161; 95% CI, 1.111-1.231; p < 0.001), low body mass index (BMI) (OR = 1.248; 95% CI, 1.192-1.312; p < 0.001), female (OR = 5.174; 95% CI, 3.058-7.290; p < 0.001), and menopause (OR = 4.917; 95% CI, 1.558-15.523; I2 = 0.0%; p = 0.007); (2) RA-related factor theme: disease duration (OR = 1.083; 95% CI, 1.038-1.127; p < 0.001), and glucocorticoids (OR = 2.740; 95% CI, 2.000-3.750; p < 0.001); (3) relevant physiological indicators or scores theme: low 25(OH)D 3 (OR = 1.009; 95% CI, 1.003-1.016; p < 0.001), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (OR = 1.489; 95% CI, 1.041-2.130; p = 0.029), high Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28) score (OR = 2.5991; 95% CI, 1.094-6.138; p < 0.001); and β-isomerized C-terminal telopeptide (β-CTx) (OR = 1.009; 95% CI, 1.003-1.016; p = 0.005).

Conclusion: Osteoporosis in patients with RA is associated with various factors. Therefore, patients with RA should be monitored in a timely manner and targeted interventions should be taken. In addition, further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the direct link between multiple factors and osteoporosis.