When I receive my yearly Complete Blood Count blood work, I look over the numbers with my doctor checking if anything is out of range. I didn’t consider blood work to be a measure for osteoporosis related risk factors. However, in this two part series on Complete Blood Count (CBC) we learn from Dr. Keith McCormick’s experience, working with osteoporosis patients for decades, how a simple blood test can assess osteoporosis related fracture ricks.
Complete Blood Count allows a trained practitioner to assess osteoporosis related fracture risk.
RBC count: When the red blood cell count is even slightly low it may indicate an accumulation of fat cells within the bone marrow. An excessive number of fat cells not only crowds out RBC-forming stem cells (hematopoietic stem cells), but also leads to an increase in the level of PPAR- gamma, a protein that stimulates the osteoclasts to break down bone. In addition, a low RBC count may indicate a reduced number of bone-forming osteoblast cells because osteoblasts play a central role in hematopoiesis by releasing red blood cell growth factors.
MPV: Elevated MPV is an early marker for platelet cell activation seen in low-grade inflammation. It is low-grade chronic systemic inflammation that is the main fuel behind all chronic disease, including osteoporosis.
NLR: An elevated neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio is an indicator of chronic systemic inflammation and is negatively associated with bone mineral density. NLR greater than 2.5 is correlated to low bone density.
RDW: The size of red blood cells becomes more variable with age and the RDW is an indication of this variability. An RDW greater than 15% carries a greater risk for fracture. (Kim, K.M., et al. 2019 ASBMR Ann Meeting Abstracts, #1069)
Hgb: Abnormal hemoglobin levels can indicate too much or too little iron in the body. This can impact skeletal health by increasing osteoclastic activity, leading to bone loss.
MCV: This is a measure of the average size of red blood cells. When elevated, it may indicate a deficiency in vitamin B-12 and/or folate. Pernicious anemia is a condition that reduces the absorption of vitamin B-12 and calcium. Vitamin B-12 has a direct influence on osteoblastic bone-building activity. An elevated MCV is a flag to look at homocysteine, a protein metabolite that contributes to chronic systemic inflammation and reduced bone quality.
When it comes to bone health finding a doctor who understands the importance of blood work, has the knowledge to connect the dots as to the reason why you have bone loss, and follows your case is key.
Is Dr. McCormick’s blog post helpful in understanding the importance of bloodwork in addition to your DXA and Trabecular Bones Score (TBS)?
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