Prevalence of osteoporosis assessed by densitometry in the Spanish female population

BACKGROUND: osteoporotic fractures represent an important clinic and socioe conomic problem. Although it is well known the incidence of fractures in Sp ain. we do not know how many persons are at risk. The World Health Organiza tion (WHO) has approved a densitometric criteria to define osteopenia (OSPE ) and osteoporosis (OSP). The aim of this study has been to evaluate the pr evalence of OSP and OSPE in women of the Spanish population. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: With the data of a study of hone mass in the Spanish p opulation, stratified according to age, using dual-energy X-ray absortiomet ry (DXA) with a QDR/1000 Hologic device and according the WHO criteria, we have calculated the prevalence of OSP and OSPE in normal Spanish women at t he lumbar spine (LS) and/or femoral neck (FN). RESULTS: The prevalence of osteoporosis at LS is: 0.34% in the group aged 2 0-44 years; 4.31% in the group aged 45-49 years: up to 9.09% in the group a ged 50-59 years; 24.29% in the 60-69 years, and 40.0% in the group aged 70- 79 years. The overall prevalence of osteoporosis is 11.13%, confidence inte rval (CI) 95% from 9.4 to 12.8%. The prevalence of osteoporosis at FN is: 0 .17% in the group aged 20-44 years, 0% in the 45-49 years, up to 1.3% in th e 50-59 years, 5.71% in the 60-69 years and 24.24% in the group aged 70-79 years. The overall prevalenced of osteoporosis is 4,29% (CI 95% 3.2-5.4%). The prevalence in female older than 50 years was 22.8% at LS and 9.1% at FN . 12.73% of Spanish women population has osteoporosis at LS or FN, which re present about 1,974,400 women; 2.68% of total population has osteoporosis i n both sites. CONCLUIONS: Even we do not include in this study women with established ost eoporosis (with fractures), the number of Spanish women with osteoporosis i s very high.