Die Rolle von Vitamin K2 in der Osteoporose-Diagnostik – Etablierung neuer Messparameter
Outcomes after circumcision in children - factors influencing parental satisfaction
by Luzia Maria Ingenlath
Date of Examination:2025-11-12
Date of issue:2025-10-28
Advisor:Prof. Dr. Heide Siggelkow
Referee:Prof. Dr. Heide Siggelkow
Referee:Prof. Dr. Dominik Saul
Referee:Prof. Dr. Dirk Raddatz
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Abstract
English
Osteoporosis is a disease of bone metabolism that can lead to frequent fractures and thus a reduced quality of life. Diagnosis primarily involves bone density measurement using DXA and various laboratory parameters. Vitamin K and its subforms are not yet standard practice, but are believed to have a positive effect on bone metabolism. The exploratory study presented here investigated vitamin K2 supply and diagnostics in osteoporosis patients at the Endocrinology Center in Göttingen. The LC-MS/MS measurement newly established by amedes MVZ wagnerstibbe was used for this purpose. The aim was to analyze the vitamin K2 status of the collective and whether the measurement of vitamin K2 and its associated relevant parameters could be a useful addition to the diagnosis of osteoporosis. This is a retrospective study in which the patient group consists of 100 osteoporosis patients, six of whom were substituted with vitamin K2 during the course of the study due to low vitamin K2 status. The overall group consisted of 84% primarily postmenopausal women and 16% men, but compared to other studies, the age range was wide. Forty-five percent of patients regularly took osteoporosis-specific therapy. Sixty percent of study participants reported a history of fractures. The evaluations of bone density measurements using DXA showed that the men in the cohort tended to have poorer measurements in the peripheral bones (femur), whereas the women had comparatively poorer bone substance in the spine. We were able to show that specific osteoporosis therapy such as bisphosphonates and denosumab resulted in lower osteocalcin levels, while teriparatide therapy resulted in higher levels when comparing the groups. It turned out that at the first measurement date, most patients in the collective already had high vitamin K2-MK7 levels (1.9±4.4 μg/l, normal range: 0.1–0.82 μg/l), but also elevated levels of uncarboxylated osteocalcin (3.2±2.24 μg/l, normal range 0.6–3.34 μg/l), which is an indirect marker for vitamin K2 status. Vitamin K2 supplementation (in n=6), there was an increase in vitamin K2 MK7 serum levels (from 1.0±0.8 μg/l to 5.0±3.7 μg/l) and a non-significant decrease in ucOC values (from 5.0±2.74 μg/l to 4.3±2.14 μg/l). A significant correlation was found between vitamin K1 and vitamin K2 MK4 levels (p=0.038), as well as between osteocalcin levels (p=<0.001) and between carboxylated osteocalcin and alkaline bone phosphatase (p=<0.001). In our overall cohort, there was a weakly significant correlation between elevated vitamin K2-MK7 serum levels (p=0.04) and higher BMI, and a decrease in vitamin K1 levels with increasing age (p=0.012). No significant correlations were found between vitamin K2-related parameters and vitamin D status, bone density, or fracture rate. Measuring vitamin K1, vitamin K2-MK7, and, if no osteoporosis-specific medication is being taken, osteocalcin forms, appears to be a useful addition to osteoporosis diagnostics. Vitamin K2 levels in the overall cohort were within the normal range but borderline low. In patients with elevated uncarboxylated osteocalcin as a sign of vitamin K2 deficiency, supplementation with 100 μg of vitamin K2 daily does not appear to be sufficient for a significant improvement in vitamin K status in our cohort, and a higher dosage may be advisable. Particularly in older patients, attention should be paid to ensuring adequate vitamin K status and supplementation should be considered if the side effect profile is favorable. Whether this also has positive effects on bone density and fracture rate is controversial in the literature and should be investigated in further studies.
Keywords: osteoporosis; osteoporosis therapy; vitamin K2; osteocalcin
