title: [Osteoporosis in unselected patients in an ambulatory clinic for pulmonary medicine. An inexpensive diagnostic possibility not requiring extra time].
abstract: Patients with pulmonary and allergy-related diseases often suffer from osteoporosis. Deformities of the thoracic spine in the lateral view of a routine chest X-ray were evaluated in 1558 patients admitted to a chest clinic in a prospective, blinded and non-selected manner with various cardio-respiratory complaints. Signs of osteoporosis were found in 108 of 811 males and in 79 of 747 females. In 187 patients with thoracic spine compression a total of 106 had received corticosteroid medication. Only one received oestrogen and no one took calcium or D-vitamin supplementation. Conclusively we found that more attention should be paid to osteoporosis in patients with pulmonary disorders. An easy and cheap way is to look for fractures on a simple chest X-ray in a population of patients with cardiorespiratory complaints. We found a very high prevalence of thoracic spine deformities, especially in men.
authors.affiliation: Aalborg Sygehus, medicinsk endokrinologisk og lungemedicinsk afdeling.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Clemmensen
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Videbaek
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000191:economics; D013131:Spine / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013997:Time Factors