The bone mineral densities in Korean postmenopausal women: a comparison between natural and surgically induced menopause

Kwon, Jae Hee; Choi, Young Min; Lee, Yong Hee; Lee, Jin Yong

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the bone mineral density(BMD) in Korean postmenopausal women.
METHODS
We performed the retrospective study for 1,508 postmenopausal women who had menopause after 40 years of age and didn't take any hormonal agent before measuring bone mineral density. Spinal and femur neck BMD were measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry(DXA, Lunar Co.).
RESULTS
The mean age of the study subjects was 53.7+/-5.7 years and the average BMD of the lumbar spine(L2-L4; L24) and femur neck(FN) were 0.996+/-0.173 g/cm(2) and 0.821+/-0.133 g/cm(2), respectively. Of all subjects, 44.1%(665/1,508) had osteopenia and 14.7%(222/1,508) were already osteoporotic. The prevalence of osteoporosis increased with age; 5.2% in 41-50 years of age, 15.6% in fifties, 32.5% in sixties, and 45.5% in over 70 years of age. There was no significant difference in the age-adjusted BMD between naturally menopausal women(n=828) and surgically menopausal women(n=78). The mean age at menopause of surgically menopausal women was significantly younger than that of naturally menopausal women(47.6+/-3.6 vs 49.2+/-3.5). Duration of menopause, body weight, and height were revealed to be the significant risk factors for osteoporosis. The annual bone loss rates in lumbar spine and femur neck were 1.2% and 1.1% respectively in naturally menopausal women, and 1.5% and 1.2% in surgically menopausal women. CONCLUSIONS: This study established the BMD curve and regression equation in Korean postmenopausal women according to the causes of menopause. There was no significant difference in the mean BMD and the prevalence of osteoporosis between naturally and surgically menopausal women. Duration of menopause, body weight, and height were found to be the risk factors which influence the development of the osteoporosis. So the postmenopausal women who are at increased risks of developing osteoporosis need more active interventions for preventing the osteoporotic fracture.