Evaluation of Vertebral Deformations in Women with Osteopenia

Abstract

Objective:The extent to which vertebral integrity is affected in patients with osteopenia was investigated in this study.Materials and Methods:We included 304 female patients aged between 40 and 74 and treated in the internal medicine outpatient clinic of a secondary healthcare institution. Total lumbar T and Z-scores and femoral neck T and Z-scores were analyzed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. We included patients with a T-score between -1 and -2.4 and evaluated the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae of the patients with dorsal and ventral X-ray imaging. We examined whether the patients had vertebral fractures and if so, we determined the fracture level.Results:The vertebral fracture was found in 30.6% of the patients, and the frequency of scoliosis in these patients was found to be higher than those without fractures (p<0.001). There was a significant correlation between the frequency of vertebral fractures and the number of years that passed after menopause (p<0.001). When the premenopausal and postmenopausal periods were compared, a significant increase was observed in the menopausal threshold and the frequency of fractures (p=0.036). Body mass index (BMI) levels were found to be significantly higher in patients with fractures (p=0.001). No significant correlation between the lumbar T-score and the frequency of vertebral fractures (p=0.469) and the frequency of scoliosis (p=0.116) was found.Conclusion:The time elapsed after menopause increases the frequency of fractures. Contrary to the general literature, our study showed an increase in the frequency of fractures with obesity and increased BMI. When we scanned 304 osteopenic patients with X-rays, we found a significant frequency of fractures, but the fractures of most patients were ‘silent.’ Although osteopenia is common in the community, as in the literature, our study also shows that these patients should be examined in terms of vertebral fracture even if they do not have any symptoms.

Keywords

• osteopenia
• elderly women
• vertebrael deformation
• scoliosis