Risk Factors of Bone Mass Loss at the Lumbar Spine: A Longitudinal Study in Healthy Korean Pre- and Perimenopausal Women Older than 40 Years

Abstract

Longitudinal studies on bone mass decline for healthy women are sparse. We performed a retrospective longitudinal study to evaluate the factor associated with bone mass changes at the lumbar spine in healthy Korean pre- and perimenopausal women over the age of 40. We examined the relation of blood tests including thyroid function tests at baseline and follow-up to the annual percentage changes in average BMD of L2-L4 (A%Delta LSBMD). Four hundred and forty-three subjects without diseases or medications pertaining to bone metabolism were analyzed. The mean A%Delta LSBMD in these subjects was -0.45%/ year. Though a significant correlation was observed between the A%Delta LSBMD and age, serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level, total cholesterol (TC) level, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at baseline and follow-up, there was a weak correlation between A%Delta LSBMD and these variables. From multiple linear regression analyses, the percent body fat, age, serum TSH level, serum uric acid level, and the menopause at follow-up were showed to have a significant association with the A%Delta LSBMD. Unlike age, percent body fat, and menopause at follow-up, which had a negative association with the A%Delta LSBMD, serum TSH level and serum uric acid level, had a positive association with the A%Delta LSBMD. The results from our study showed that the notable risk factors of BMD loss at the lumbar spine in population of our study were advancing age, menopause, higher percent body fat, lower normal TSH, and lower serum uric acid levels.