Analysis of the factors influencing the frequency ofpathological fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

Abstract

Introduction: Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by bone strength disorder and weakness of the entire skeleton causing the predisposition to fractures to grow. Identification of factors which may influence pathological fractures in postmenopausal women and determining which of the identified factors have the largest influence on the development of osteoporotic fractures. A retrospective study has included 400 postmenopausal women with newly diagnosed osteoporosis examined at the Institute of Rheumatology in Belgrade. We have examined demographic data and the following fracture risk factors: physical activity, menarche, menopause, fractures after the age of forty, osteoporotic fractures in the family, comorbidity: inflammatory rheumatic diseases, intestine diseases, chronic kidney insufficiency and endocrinopathy (hyperthyroidism and diabetes) and taking glucocorticoid therapy. The value of bone density has been measured using DXA method in the spine and hip, and the body mass index has been calculated based on the body height and weight. Logistic regression has been used as the method for analyzing the relation between binary results and potential predictors. Statistical hypotheses have been tested at the statistical significance level of 0.05. In the model of multivariate logistic regression, the significant predictors of osteoporotic fractures are as follows: older age (B = 0.13; p = 0.001), higher BMI values (B = 0.094; p = 0.022) and lower BMD values (hip) (B = -3.060; p = 0.023). Elderly overweight women with lower BMD values in the hip are more susceptible to fractures due to osteoporosis; therefore this subgroup of postmenopausal women is important for the application of the measures of primary and secondary prevention of osteoporotic fractures.

Keywords

• osteoporosis
• osteoporotic fractures
• prediction
• bone density
• body mass index