Prevalence of osteoporosis in ambulatory postmenopausal women from a semiurban region in Southern India: relationship to calcium nutrition and vitamin D status.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the prevalence of osteoporosis in healthy ambulatory postmenopausal Indian women as measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and to study the dietary calcium intake and vitamin D status and their influence on bone mineral density (BMD).


METHODS
We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study in a semiurban region. A randomized cluster sampling technique was used. The study cohort consisted of 150 ambulatory postmenopausal women (> or = 50 years old). Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry for BMD was performed at the lumbar spine and femoral neck. Dietary calcium intake and biochemical variables were assessed.


RESULTS
The prevalence of osteoporosis was 48% at the lumbar spine, 16.7% at the femoral neck, and 50% at any site. The mean dietary calcium intake was much lower than the recommended intake for this age-group. There was a significant positive correlation between body mass index and BMD at the lumbar spine and the femoral neck (r = 0.4; P = .0001). BMD at the femoral neck was significantly less (mean, 0.657 versus 0.694 g/cm(2)) in the vitamin D-insufficient study subjects in comparison with the vitamin D-sufficient women (P = .03).


CONCLUSIONS
The high prevalence of osteoporosis and vitamin D insufficiency in this semiurban group of postmenopausal women in India is a major health concern. Measures such as adequate calcium intake and vitamin D supplementation in women of this age-group may be beneficial.
Paul
Thomas V
TV
Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Thomas
Nihal
N
Seshadri
Mandalam S
MS
Oommen
Regi
R
Jose
Arun
A
Mahendri
Narayana V
NV
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects; D002136:Calcium, Dietary / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008875:Middle Aged; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000517:prevention & control; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology
D002136:Calcium, Dietary; D014807:Vitamin D