LAUSR

Summary In this study, we compared patients using the anticoagulant warfarin for more than a year with a control group with similar characteristics but without using the drug. We demonstrated worse BMD and bone quality by trabecular bone score (TBS) in patients using warfarin for more than 1 year. Purpose Evaluate the bone mineral density (BMD) and the trabecular bone score (TBS) of patients taking warfarin for more than 1 year compared with a control group. Methods Male patients aged 25–65 years in warfarin use for more than 1 year were included. Patients answered a questionnaire regarding lifestyle habits and realized a dual X-ray densitometry (DXA) (lumbar spine and hip), and TBS was evaluated. Results From the 96 patients invited, 33 patients accepted to participate and comprised the warfarin group (WG), and 3 were excluded. The control group (CG) was composed of 21 individuals matched by age and race. The mean age of WG was 57.0 ± 7.6 and in the CG 54.0 ± 10.6 years ( p  = 0.095). The BMD in WG was lower than that in the CG in all sites (spine p  < 0.001, total hip p  = 0.001, and femoral neck p  = 0.005). A longer time of warfarin use increased the likelihood of having low BMD (OR = 1.239, CI 1.064–1.674, p  = 0.01), whereas high BMI decreased it (OR = 0.732, CI 0.533–0.918, p  = 0.03). The TBS was lower in WG than the CG ( p  = 0.04). Lower TBS was associated with hypertension in both groups and to the hip BMD (neck and total) ( p  < 0.005) in the WG. In the multivariate analysis, only hypertension (− 0.10, CI − 0.17 to − 0.03, p  = 0.008) and total hip BMD ( 0.26, CI 0.07–0.46, p  = 0.009) influenced TBS. Conclusion We demonstrated an association between worsening of BMD and bone quality in patients taking warfarin for more than 1 year.