Factors affecting bone mineral density in postmenopausal women

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Endocrinology
• Bone Metabolism

Background:

• Osteoporosis (OP) significantly impacts morbidity and mortality in the elderly.
• Factors influencing bone mineral density (BMD) can vary across different populations and measurement sites.
• Understanding these variations is crucial for effective osteoporosis management in postmenopausal women.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between BMD at the femoral neck (FN) and lumbar spine (LS) and various clinical, demographic, and biochemical parameters.
• To determine if the influence of these factors on BMD differs between the FN and LS measurement sites.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional case-control study involving 537 postmenopausal women from the Amirkola Health and Ageing Project (AHAP).
• BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).
• Statistical analyses included Pearson correlation and multivariate regression to assess relationships between BMD and clinical/demographic factors.

Main Results:

• BMD negatively correlated with menopause duration (MD) and parity, but positively with body mass index (BMI), physical activity, education, and serum ferritin.
• The association between MD and osteoporosis risk was stronger at the FN than the LS.
• Obesity, metabolic syndrome (MS), and higher serum ferritin reduced OP risk at both sites, while parity, prior fracture, education, and physical activity showed site-specific associations.

Conclusions:

• Significant associations exist between osteoporosis and menopause duration, obesity, parity, metabolic syndrome, fracture history, serum ferritin, education, and physical activity.
• The direction and strength of these associations are dependent on the BMD measurement site (FN vs. LS).
• These findings highlight the importance of considering measurement site when evaluating factors related to bone health in postmenopausal women.