Abstract
The maior pathway of fluoride elimination from the human body is the kidney. The discharge of fluoride into urine depends on the clearance of the kidney. Fluoride in serum of hemodialysis patients is higher than that of healthy subjects. Fluoride is not reduced sufficiently with hemodialysis. Those patients are in the same condition as being exposed to high level of fluoride for a long time.
In this study, serum fluoride and bone mineral density (BMD) were measured in 93 patients (45 males and 48 females, aged 29 – 86) to clarify effects of fluoride on the bone metabolism. BMD of the third lumbar spine and the distal 1/3 of the radius were measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.
Both in male and female patients, serum fluoride and BMD of the lumbar spine increased and BMD of the radius decreased for a year. Relative changes of BMD of the lumbar spine had a high correlation with those of serum fluoride (male: r=0.81, p<0.05, female: r=0.74, p<0.01).
BMD of the lumbar spine was mainly influenced by fluoride in serum.