Osteoporosis, Rather Than Sarcopenia, Is the Predominant Musculoskeletal Disease in a Rural South African Community Where Human Immunodeficiency Virus Prevalence Is High: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

The rollout of antiretroviral therapy globally has increased life expectancy across Southern Africa, where 20.6 million people now live with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We aimed to determine the prevalence of age-related osteoporosis and sarcopenia, and investigate the association between HIV, bone mineral density (BMD), muscle strength and lean mass, and gait speed. A cross-sectional community-based study of individuals aged 20-80 years in rural South Africa collected demographic and clinical data, including HIV status, grip strength, gait speed, body composition, and BMD. Sarcopenia was defined by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 (EWGSOP2) guidelines, and osteoporosis as BMD T-score ≤ -2.5 (if age ≥50 years). The mean ± standard deviation (SD) age of 805 black South African participants was 44.6 ± 14.8 years, 547 (68.2%) were female; 34 (13.2%) were men, and 129 (23.6%) women had HIV, with 88% overall taking anti-retroviral therapy. A femoral neck T-score ≤ -2.5, seen in four of 95 (4.2%) men and 39 of 201 (19.4%) women age ≥50 years, was more common in women with than without HIV (13/35 [37.1%] versus 26/166 [15.7%]; p = 0.003). Although no participant had confirmed sarcopenia, probable sarcopenia affected more men than women (30/258 [11.6%] versus 24/547 [4.4%]; p = .001]. Although appendicular lean mass (ALM)/height² index was lower in both men and women with HIV, there were no differences in grip strength, gait speed, or probable sarcopenia by HIV status. Older age, female sex, lower ALM/height² index, slower gait speed, and HIV infection were all independently associated with lower femoral neck BMD. In conclusion, osteoporosis rather than sarcopenia is the common musculoskeletal disease of aging in rural South Africa; older women with HIV may experience greater bone losses than women without HIV. Findings raise concerns over future fracture risk in Southern Africa, where HIV clinics should consider routine bone health assessment, particularly in aging women. © 2021 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

Keywords: BMD; DXA; HIV; OSTEOPOROSIS; SARCOPENIA.

Fig. 1.

Unadjusted relationships between age and measures of BMD at four skeletal sites in females and males above and below the age of 50 years, living with and without HIV. Age against BMD is shown on scatter plots. Individuals with HIV are indicated by blue triangles, those without HIV by green circles. In women, 94 (27.2%) of those age <50 years and 35 (17.4%) of those ≥50 years were living with HIV. In men, 22 (13.5%) of those age <50 years and 12 (12.6%) of those ≥50 years were living with HIV. Piecewise regression lines are shown; β (standard error) represents g/cm² per year of age. No evidence was detected for an interaction between age and HIV status on BMD outcomes in either the younger or older men or women in these unadjusted analyses. BMD = bone mineral density; HIV = human immunodeficiency virus.