Biomarkers · Bone & Mineral
Broadband Ultrasound Attenuation (Heel)
Higher values go with lower risk of death. Not measured in our NHANES panel. The curve is drawn from the published study (source below).
Heel and risk of death
Published curve higher than the NHANES fitNHANES fit higher
Risk of death relative to the curve's reference value, drawn from the published study (source below).
What studies found when this marker was changed
They describe what happened in those study groups, not a recommendation. See all catalogued interventions.
Measured changes in Heel, study by study
8 effects with a numeric size, each from one study arm: the dot is the reported change, the line its 95% interval where one was given. Green points move the marker the way lower risk of death lies; amber the other way. Study results in the groups studied, not predictions for a person.
| Type | Intervention | Reported effect | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| exercise | Brief school-based capoeira and jumping sessions (10 min, 3 per week) for 9 months in healthy pre/peripubertal boys | Calcaneal BUA +4.3% in exercisers vs +2.1% in controls over a school year (p = .035) | RCT | Nogueira RC, Weeks BK, Beck BR. Targeting bone and fat with novel exercise for… |
| exercise | Home-based rest-interspersed bouts of high-impact exercise vs sham exercise for 6 months in premenopausal women | Calcaneal BUA rose 3.7% vs sham-exercise controls at 6 months; n=96 | RCT | Babatunde O, Forsyth J. J Bone Miner Metab. 2014;32(5):563-572. |
| exercise | Previously sedentary postmenopausal women taking up brisk walking (about 17 min/day) for 12 months vs women who stayed sedentary, continued or stopped walking | Calcaneal BUA rose 7.4% (SEM 3.3) in women who took up brisk walking relative to other groups at 12 months; n=68 | RCT | Brooke-Wavell K, et al. Osteoporos Int. 2001;12(7):581-587. |
| exercise | Aquatic aerobic exercise for 6 months in sedentary postmenopausal women with low calcaneal BUA | Calcaneal BUA rose 3.1% from baseline with aquatic exercise at 6 months; arm n=21 | RCT | Ay A, Yurtkuran M. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2005;84(1):52-61. |
| exercise | Supervised high-intensity progressive resistance and impact training in men with low BMD (LIFTMOR-M) | Calcaneal BUA rose 2.2% (± 0.7) from baseline with HiRIT vs -0.8% in non-randomised controls; arm n=34, duration not stated | RCT | Harding AT, et al. J Bone Miner Res. 2020;35(8):1404-1414. |
| pharmacologic | Alendronate with calcium for 4 years in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis | Calcaneal BUA increased by 1.1% at 1 year and 1.9% at 4 years in alendronate-treated women | RCT | Gonnelli S, Cepollaro C, Montagnani A, et al. Heel ultrasonography in… |
| pharmacologic | Alendronate 10 mg/day plus calcium 1000 mg/day for 3 years in men with primary osteoporosis | Calcaneal BUA increased 3.2% at year 2 and 3.8% at year 3 with alendronate | RCT | Gonnelli S, Cepollaro C, Montagnani A, et al. Alendronate treatment in men with… |
| pharmacologic | Nasal salmon calcitonin 200 IU/day, 1 month on/1 month off, with calcium 500 mg/day for 2 years in osteoporotic women aged 50-64 | BUA +0.88% at 2 years with calcitonin vs -3.30% with calcium alone | RCT | Gonnelli S, Cepollaro C, Pondrelli C, et al. Ultrasound parameters in… |
Sources
- Risk curve: Bauer 2002 (PMID 12181617): all-cause RR 1.16 (1.07-1.26) per 1 SD reduction in calcaneal BUA (relative risk of death). Scaled to published population values.
- Bauer et al. Quantitative ultrasound and mortality: a prospective study. Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA. 2002;13:606-12.
Map Broadband Ultrasound Attenuation (Heel) against another biomarker.
Related markers: Bone Mineral Density T-score (DXA) · C-Terminal Telopeptide of Type I Collagen (CTX) · Osteocalcin · Osteoprotegerin (OPG) · Parathyroid Hormone (PTH)