Bone Abstracts

Objective: To evaluate prevalent risk factors, medication use and comorbidities with bone mass findings at the total hip, femoral neck and lumbar spine.

Design: Historical cross-sectional study.

Methods: A total of 6285 women and 565 men consecutively referred to an osteoporosis specialist clinic from 2000 to 2012 were included. Information of potential risk factors was obtained from a clinical database. Additional information on medication use, comorbidities and fractures was obtained from national registries. The study was approved according to national legislation. Patient information was anonymized. Statistics were performed using generalized linear models.

Results: A total of 212 (37.5%) men and 1857 (29.6%) women had a T-score below −2.5 at one of the measured sites. In women increasing age, lower BMI, increasing glucocorticoid use within one year, prevalent chronic pulmonary disease, low daily dietary consumption of calcium, current smoking, use of calcium supplementation, low exercise level, former osteoporosis treatment, prevalent major osteoporotic fractures, estrogen deficiency, prevalent rheumatoid arthritis, having an alcohol related diagnosis, use of loop diuretics, prevalent hyperthyroidism and having a family history of fractures were all found to be independently associated (P<0.05) with lower bone mass at either one site. Thiazide treatment was consistently associated with higher T-scores. In men some risk factors could not be evaluated due to low prevalence. Increasing age, low BMI, prevalent MOF, former osteoporosis treatment, low exercise level, high Charlson score, prevalent hyponatremia, having limitations in everyday life and a familial fracture disposition were predictors (P<0.05) of low bone mass at one or the other site. Glucocorticoid use and increasing age were associated with higher BMD at the lumbar spine.

Conclusions: Risk factors attributable to hereditary causes, life style and comorbidity were identified. Exercise level, serum sodium status, use of loop diuretics and prevalent chronic pulmonary disease, risk factors not included in fracture risk calculators were associated with low bone mass.