Prevalence and Factors Associated with Low Bone Mass and Osteoporosis in Syrian Postmenopausal Women

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Damascus University, Syria

²Faculty of Medicine, Syrian Private University, Syria

Received Date: Sep 17, 2019

Published Date: Oct 04, 2019

^*Corresponding author: Zaynab Alourfi, Department of Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Damascus University, Damascus, Syria.

Copyright © 2019  Alourfi Z.

Citation: Alourfi Z. (2019). Prevalence and Factors Associated with Low Bone Mass and Osteoporosis in Syrian Postmenopausal Women. Mathews J Case Rep 4(3): 58.

ABSTRACT

Aim: Osteoporosis is a silent asymptomatic disease until it is complicated with a fracture. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the prevalence of low bone mass and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women and determine their relationship with age, menopause duration, body mass index and other potential risk factors.

Methods: 813 postmenopausal women were included, aged between 40-96 yrs. Body weight, height, body mass index (BMI), body mineral density (BMD), were measured. Risk factors for low BMD derived from questionnaire were documented.

Results: Using world health organization criteria 24% had osteoporosis and 45.2% had low bone mass. Incidence of osteoporosis and low bone mass increased significantly with age and menopause duration. Femoral neck BMD decreased by 0.0055 g/cm² and total lumbar BMD decreased by 0.0035 g/cm² per year. However, increased BMI was associated with increasing in BMD in both femoral neck BMD and total lumbar BMD by 0.0056 g/cm² and 0.0057 g/cm² per 1 kg/m respectively.

Conclusions: The prevalence of low bone mass and osteoporosis in Syrian postmenopausal women was in alignment with results of most other studies. BMD in lumbar vertebrae and femoral neck is negatively correlated with age, duration of menopause, smoking, physical inactivity and the use of proton pump inhibitors. However, it is positively correlated with BMI.

Keywords: Bone mineral density; Low bone mass; Osteoporosis; Body mass index; Postmenopausal women.

Abbreviations: BMD: Body Mineral Density; BMI: Body Mass Index; DXA: Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry; PPI: Proton Pump Inhibitors.