ObjectiveTo study the distribution of bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP), type Ⅰ collagen cross-linked C-telopeptide (CTX) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-5b in plateau area builders, and analyze the influencing factors under plateau environment. MethodsBetween April and May, 2014, using random stratified cluster sampling, we included in our study 650 blood samples from the power grid construction people in Batang County of Ganzi Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province and Mangkang County of Tibet Autonomous Region with an altitude ranging from 2 600 to 4 450 meters, averaging (3 586.50±610.85) meters. We collected their fasting blood and detected their TRAP-5b, CTX and BALP by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. By using SPSS 13.0, we analyzed the relationship between TRAP-5b, CTX, BALP and the influencing factors such as age, working intensity, residence time in the plateau area and altitude of the plateau. In the end, we tried to find out the main influencing factors of bone metabolic markers in the plateau environment.ResultsThe levels of CTX, BALP and TRAP-5b were the highest before the age of 20, and the average levels of them were respectively (1.04±0.38) ng/mL, (52.09±14.62) μg/L, and (4.22±1.38) U/L. With the increase of age, the levels of CTX, TRAP-5b and BALP showed a downward trend, but CTX and BALP reached the lowest level in the age group of 40 to 49 years old, and the average levels of CTX and BALP were (0.44±0.26) ng/mL and (24.77±9.89) μg/L, respectively. Then they gradually increased after the age of 50. TRAP-5b reached the lowest level in the age group of 30 to 39 years old, and the average level of TRAP-5b was (2.59±0.95) U/L. Then it gradually increased after the age of 40. The activity of CTX and BALP increased obviously with the increase of altitude. With the increase of labor intensity, BALP, TRAP-5b and CTX all increased. However, no matter what labor intensity, the bone formation marker BALP first increased and then decreased with the plateau residence time, while the bone absorption marker TRAP-5b increased after the first reduction.ConclusionsBone metabolic markers are different in different age groups. Altitude, working intensity and plateau working time have significant effects on bone metabolism markers.