Urinary Calcium for Tracking Bone Loss and Kidney Stone Risk in Space.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Urinary calcium (Uca) levels in space reflect bone loss and kidney stone risk and could be measured using portable devices. This project evaluated the repeatability of Uca measurements to assess how many repeated measurements would be needed to detect significant urinary calcium elevations in space.METHODS: A total of six subjects collected 24-h urine samples weekly for 8 wk and took 500 mg of oral calcium carbonate and 400 IU of vitamin D daily in week 7 and 8. Uca concentration was analyzed using a calcein-based system. The effect of the intake of calcium and vitamin D on Uca levels and the correlation between first void concentration and 24-h mass were assessed with linear mixed effect models. The reproducibility coefficient (RPC) for Uca was determined using Bland-Altman analysis on pairs of measurements at different time points.RESULTS: Oral supplementation did not significantly affect 24-h mass. First void concentration correlated with 24-h mass. The 24-h mass RPCs were 167.0, 116.8, and 108.1 mg for 1-, 2-, and 3-wk average measurements. First void concentration RPCs were 90.6, 76.6, and 72.8 mg L1. Skylab astronauts 24-h mass increased by 88.9 76.0, 123.5 58.3, 142.2 56.5, and 159.9 83.4 mg after 1, 2, 3, and 4 wk in flight.DISCUSSION: Averaging multiple Uca measurements reduced variability effectively and allowed increases likely to be seen in space to be detected. Consecutive Uca measurements could be tracked over time in space to assess the effectiveness of the countermeasure program. First void concentration could potentially be used rather than 24-h collections.Ren J, Stankovic AS, Knaus DA, Phillips SD, Kynor DB, Buckey JC. Urinary calcium for tracking bone loss and kidney stone risk in space. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2020; 91(9)689696.