Bone mineral density in Iranian patients: Effects of age, sex, and body mass index

Introduction: Osteoporosis is a multifactorial skeletal disease that is characterized by reduced bone mineral density (BMD). BMD values de-pend on several factors such as age, sex and age at menopause. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and changes in bone mineral density in Iranian patients. Meth-ods: Three hundred patients were selected through random sampling technique in 2009. BMD was assessed by Norland (Excell) technique at the lumbar and femoral neck. Weight and height were measured through standard methods. A thorough history was taken from each patient. The data was analyzed using SPSS software version 13.0. P-values less than 0.05 were con-sidered statistically significant. Results: From among the 300 studied patients, 86.6% were fe-male. their mean age was 52.7 years. Their av-erage body mass index (BMI) was 28.14 kg/m2. Mean T-Score at lumbar spine and femoral neck was −1.07 ± 1.19 and −1.75 ± 1.33 respectively. Mean BMD value at lumbar spine and femoral neck was 0.92 ± 0.19 and 0.77 ± 0.16 respectively. The prevalence of osteoporosis at lumbar spine and femoral neck was 33.7% and 16.7, respec-tively. There was a significant correlation be-tween age, BMI and BMD values (P-Value < 0.01). Correlation between gender and BMD value at the lumbar spine and femoral neck was not sig-nificant. Conclusion: This study shows that age- ing and low BMI are risk factors associated with bone loss. it is recommended to measure BMD and implement prevention programs for high- risk people. Keywords: Bone Mineral Density; Body Mass Index;Age; Gende