Osteoporosis: prevalence in Taiwanese women

The aim of this study is to understand the current status of bone mineral density (BMD) among Taiwanese women and to determine the relationship between bone mass, weight, height and body mass index (BMI), and the proportion of osteoporosis sufferers, based on World Health Organization standards, in each age group. A total of 4689 women underwent lumbar vertebrae (L2–L4) BMD measurements, and 3529 women underwent femoral neck bone mineral density measurements. BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Standards were based on the BMD of the 20- to 40-year-old age group, as were relationships between height, weight, BMI, and BMD. Pearson correlation revealed a positive relationship between body weight, BMI, and BMD in the femoral neck; other correlations were insignificant. The defined BMD value for a diagnosis of osteoporosis was 0.827 g/cm² for lumbar vertebrae and 0.605 g/cm² for the femoral neck. The proportion of osteoporosis calculated for each age group in the lumbar vertebrae group was: 40–49 years old, 8.25%; 50–59 years old, 8.62%; 60–69 years old, 14.14%; 70–79 years old, 14.25%; >80 years old, 16.07%. For the femoral neck group, the values were: 40–49 years old, 5.24%; 50–59 years old, 5.28%; 60–69 years old, 11.17%; 70–79 years old, 17.30%; >80 years old, 24%. The total proportion of osteoporosis in the lumbar vertebrae was 10.08%, and in the femoral neck, 7.45%. The BMD of Taiwanese women shows a positive relationship to body weight and BMI in the femoral neck group but not in the lumbar vertebrae group. The proportion of osteoporosis by age group in this cohort was lower than that among Western women.